Online Presentations

Irene Montemurro builds her surreal or imagined worlds from fragments; a close up of a creature, a detail from a fabric, a quote from a lyric from a poster from a band. These traces of narrative reference something both precise and unsettling, grotesque and glamorous, terrifying and tender. Costume and material for Montemurro is kindred with her works on paper, ink feels like patent leather, paint behaves like icing, silk like the mouth-watering outfits of cartoon characters.

Made mostly in 2020, these smaller works mark Montemurro's first beginnings in painting. The textures used throughout her practice in costume, ink and gouache are explored here in these small and seductive works.