The joint exhibition FENESTRA unites three artists - Julia A. Rich (Zeke's Lunchbox), Michelle Le Plastrier and Izzy Faith V - in a world-building experiment. In Latin, ‘Fenestra’ means “window”, whilst in biology, it describes a small opening, or pore, in a larger anatomical structure. ‘Fenestra’ taps into the artists’ shared penchant for worldbuilding and visual narrative and acts as their prompt to create a natural opening into their respective worlds. In a sense, each individual work represents a pore to the exhibition’s body. Each Fenestra offers a glimpse into the artists’ imaginary vistas, which are equal parts personal and interpersonal reflection. 

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For FENESTRA, artist Izzy Faith V uses acrylic structures to mimic user interfaces in her paintings and frame her contemplations on the rise of AI and other speculative technologies. Familiar characters from mythology serve as avatars for exploring the paradoxes inherent in a society that is wary of and captivated by technology. Her works balance a vibrant optimism for AI's potential with an underlying dystopian caution, bridging the gap between our increasing cynicism towards technology and our lingering nostalgia for the techno-optimism of the late 1990s.

The development of FENESTRA was proudly supported by HOTA Home of the Arts, through HOTA’s ArtKeeper program, Regional Arts Development Fund and funding from Yarra City Council small projects grant with special thanks to Tully Jagoe.