Ester Pugliese

Artist statement

My practice investigates how lived experience can be processed and retained when memory and language prove unreliable. I have long been aware of the limits of my own memory, which led me to adopt photography as a way to capture and stabilize fleeting moments. At the same time, I have relied on non-verbal forms such as music and painting to articulate experiences that resist direct expression. My recent work brings these concerns together through a process of walking, recording sound, and collecting photographic material. Using audio-derived structures alongside images gathered during these walks, I construct paintings that function as composite translations rather than direct representations of place. These works operate as a form of externalized memory, where sensory fragments are reassembled into a cohesive visual language. In doing so, I aim to explore how attention, perception, and recollection can be materially held and re-encountered through painting.