On October 3, at 6:30 PM, the exhibition “Monstros” (Monsters) will open at Z42 Arte, offering an overview of the eleven-year career of Rio de Janeiro-based artist Fernanda Leme. Curated by Alexandre Sá, the exhibition features approximately 80 paintings—most of which have never been shown before—produced between 2013 and the present, which explore the roles of painting and photography in contemporary life. Drawing from her own life, the artist uses her work to address universal themes, such as the liquid society we inhabit, the fleeting nature of images, grief, loss, and longing. “The exhibition is a chronicle of our time, a work of memory and imagery,” the artist explains. On October 26, at 5:00 PM, she will lead a guided tour of the exhibition alongside curator Alexandre Sá.
The paintings are based on human figures found in old photographs, captured via cell phone, or extracted from media, yet they are augmented by images from her imagination and memory, as well as everyday elements. “The works amplify and update the debate between painting and photography in the contemporary era, starting from the perspective of the explosion of images, selfies, the fleeting nature of capturing the moment, and the inherent fragility of lived experience. Considering the legacy of impermanence, the works problematize the duration of images and their inevitable obsolescence, filtered through the artist’s experience, who also emerges as a sharp chronicler,” states curator Alexandre Sá in the exhibition’s introductory text.
