Matèria is thrilled to unveil OVERTON WINDOW as the latest addition to its street-facing Vitrine program. The curated series of small shows aims to cast a spotlight on digital and on-chain art and is developed in collaboration with Re:humanism; the pioneering platform led by Daniela Cotimbo, dedicated to the exploration of the intricate relationship between humanistic and scientific cultures with a special emphasis on the advancements in artificial intelligence research.

 OVERTON WINDOW sets out to explore the possibilities stemming from our rapidly evolving symbiotic relationship with technology. The project seeks to champion artists and concepts that illuminate the intersection of art and technology, with the overarching goal to harness the disruptive potential of AI and blockchain technologies, paving the way for new artistic production models. Additionally, OVERTON WINDOW serves as a catalyst for reimagining cultural production, markets and ownership models by providing artists with a platform and a support structure to experiment with the evolving technological landscape.

 Presented in curated installments, OVERTON WINDOW features an open ended dialogue between the public and a selection of local and international artists.

 The common thread of the project is embodied by the concept of new digital mythologies, a theme that encloses various manifestations of our relationship with the contemporary. If Chatbots, avatars, and voice assistants become new idols, digital simulacra embodying new forms of animism, renewed forms of digital ritual embrace diverse perspectives and suggest new narratives.

 For this second appointment, OVERTON WINDOW presents one of the most recent developments in Alba Zari's research, a visual artist who favors photography and archives in relation to emerging technologies as tools for the exploration of memory and identity.

 We Have the Same Eyes is an evolution of the project The Y, born from the artist’s personal need to reconnect with the figure of Massad, the biological father whose identity she never knew. By using software like Unreal Engine, commonly employed in video game production, and generative artificial intelligence, Alba recreates the appearance of her father, gives him a voice, and begins a dialogue with him. At the core of this project is the study of family photo archives, from which the artist has learned to distill elements of truth through erasure and reconstruction, focusing solely on the present and the future, while conceiving the past and memory as a place of imagination in continuous re-signification.

 Starting with her own facial features, Zari explores her father's face through 3D sculpture and reconstructs his expressions using gaming software. This process is completed by the audiovisual component of the installation, which brings the face to life and allows for the establishment of an emotional dialogue, achieving a moment of intimacy and revelation that is only possible in the virtual world.

 Showcased in the vitrine, the different components of this continuum will be on display, ranging from sculpture to video, culminating in the latest evolution of the voice. Through a simulation of conversations with ChatGPT and a voice synthesis program, Massad’s face is animated, attempting to fill the gaps of a conversation that never took place.

 We Have the Same Eyes seeks to explore the power of image and technology in giving voice to an intimate story and opening the doors to a new form of encounter.