WENDY MONTERO | «Something Like Memory»
25 Junho 2025 16h00
WENDY MONTERO | Something Like Memory
Open Studio | 25-26-27-28-29 June 2025, 16:00-20:00
Artist Talk & Book Release | 25 June 2025, 18h00
Artist Talk & Book Release | 25 June 2025, 18h00
Zaratan is pleased to present Something Like Memory, a new artist book by Wendy Montero
developed during her residency at Zaratan. The project traces the psychological rupture of being physically distant from a place in crisis—in this case, Los Angeles during a period of escalating ICE activity—while living and working in Lisbon.
Built as a series of visual triptychs, the book pairs daily journal entries with a photograph taken in Lisbon and an AI-generated image derived from memory prompts. These machine interpretations function not as illustrations but as speculative “remembrances”—produced by a system incapable of witnessing. The result is a disjointed narrative that drifts between documentary impulse, poetic recall, and the strange logic of machine vision.
Something Like Memory interrogates the ethics of mediated remembrance and the aesthetics of emotional distance. It is a work about longing, systemic erasure, and the false comfort of beautiful images.
developed during her residency at Zaratan. The project traces the psychological rupture of being physically distant from a place in crisis—in this case, Los Angeles during a period of escalating ICE activity—while living and working in Lisbon.
Built as a series of visual triptychs, the book pairs daily journal entries with a photograph taken in Lisbon and an AI-generated image derived from memory prompts. These machine interpretations function not as illustrations but as speculative “remembrances”—produced by a system incapable of witnessing. The result is a disjointed narrative that drifts between documentary impulse, poetic recall, and the strange logic of machine vision.
Something Like Memory interrogates the ethics of mediated remembrance and the aesthetics of emotional distance. It is a work about longing, systemic erasure, and the false comfort of beautiful images.
A loop screening of photographs (human and machine made) and a limited-edition risograph poster, produced in collaboration with Zaratan and Stolen Prints, will complement the book presentation.
On June 25th, at 18h00, Wendy Montero will be available to introduce her artistic practices and to lead visitors on a discussion around the imaginary of the work developed during the residency.
BIOGRAPHY:
WENDY MONTERO is a Los Angeles–based artist and technologist whose practice bridges photography and emerging technologies. With a background in visual art from the University of California and professional experience in product technology, she explores how memory, digital mediation, and urban environments shape visual narratives. Her work combines documentary photography with AI-generated image-making to reimagine overlooked or transitional moments tied to identity, displacement, and place.
WENDY MONTERO is a Los Angeles–based artist and technologist whose practice bridges photography and emerging technologies. With a background in visual art from the University of California and professional experience in product technology, she explores how memory, digital mediation, and urban environments shape visual narratives. Her work combines documentary photography with AI-generated image-making to reimagine overlooked or transitional moments tied to identity, displacement, and place.
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SUPPORT | República Portuguesa – Cultura / Direção-Geral das Artes
SUPPORT | República Portuguesa – Cultura / Direção-Geral das Artes