Victori’Ana (aka Victoria Synthetic), a digital artist, delves deep into the art of photography and digital manipulation, where they discover the profound dance of light and shadow. Their creations, inspired by the poignant chiaroscuro of modernist photographers, fuse retro-futurist aesthetics with a uniquely evocative lens. Through meticulous crafting, Victori’Ana invites viewers into evocative worlds, each frame a fragment of Saudade—a bittersweet remembrance of what once was.
Rooted in their Portuguese-American heritage, Victori’Ana’s work bridges two realms, seamlessly blending vibrant tradition with contemporary sensibilities. With echoes of ancestral whispers intertwined with the rhythms of a new era, their designs transcend borders and epochs. Through Victori’Ana’s lens, they extend an invitation to embrace the beauty and poignancy that resides in the heart of creative exploration, offering viewers a reflection of their own stories amidst the delicate interplay of memory and longing.
Artist’s Statement
In the tender dance between light and dark, memory finds its dwelling place, suspended in the ethereal realm of Saudade. Drawing inspiration from the haunting chiaroscuro of the modernist photographer Alfred Stieglitz and the reflective gaze of Duane Michals, my work weaves a delicate tapestry from threads of longing and the passage of time.
Within the gentle embrace of twilight, I embark on a visual pilgrimage, seeking to capture the elusive contours of Saudade—the bittersweet ache of remembering what was and the intangible hope for what could have been. Like the pioneering modernist photographers of the 1920s and 1930s, such as Edward Weston, I navigate the twilight shadowlands of memory, inviting viewers to embark on their own journeys through the labyrinth of reminiscence.
Each image is a portal to a moment suspended in time, a fragment of a story imbued with the melancholy hue of Saudade. Echoing the mastery of Edward Hopper, my compositions transform familiar scenes into evocative dreamscapes, achieving a symphony of nuanced feeling, mirroring the rich emotional depth in every frame.
With its rich cultural tapestry, Portugal has been my muse and compass. Like the modernists who sought to capture the essence of their era, I strive to channel the soul of this place. I capture fragments of its essence that resonate with the universal language of Saudade.
As a Portuguese-American, my work is a bridge between two worlds: a fusion of the vibrant tapestry of my heritage and the subtle symphony of my American experience. In every composition, one finds echoes of ancestral whispers mingling with the rhythms of a new land, forging a connection that transcends borders and time. The medium of photography coupled with digital manipulation, with its unique ability to freeze moments in time, serves as both a witness and a vessel for Saudade. Through the alchemy of light and shadow, I invite viewers to step into these twilight memoryscapes, to linger in the quiet spaces between remembrance and longing.
On this site, I extend an invitation — a call to embrace the beauty and poignancy that reside in the heart of Saudade. As you traverse these shadowlands of memory, I hope you will find a reflection of your own stories and, perhaps, discover a renewed appreciation for the delicate dance of light and dark that shapes our lives.
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Nota Bene
Victoria Sythentic is no one real – she is a fiction. None of the subjects in the photographs exist.