Victoria Montoro Zamorano

Artist Bio

For Victoria Montoro Zamorano, the art of seeing consists not in actively looking for the striking or unusual, but in being ever open and receptive to see the world with new eyes. This unguarded, spontaneous approach gives her images a quality of abstract realism that turns undulating sand dunes into a woman’s prone body, and equally captures the emotional content of a crumbling façade or an old woman’s face.

An avid world traveler. Cuban born Zamorano has a special sensibility for people and places off the beaten path. “I like to immerse myself in a place or culture and let the images find me”, she has said. Having no preconceived notions of what a photograph should be, Zamorano’s instinctual approach has led her to the poignant remains of the Jewish synagogues of Romania, the faded splendor of Havana, Cuba, and the endless panoramas of Africa and the Namib desert, where she has captured some of her most evocative images.

For the last six years Zamorano has visited Africa, where she has been able to see and photograph the ravages of hunger and disease. This, as well as the beauty and the majesty of the wildlife there, has forged en enduring bond between artist and subject.

Zamorano left Havana in 1961, when she was 12 years old. In May 2008, she returned for the first time, a trip she calls “the most important” of her life. Zamorano says, “I was a bit scared, being the daughter of a former political prisoner.” It was a time for Victoria to reconcile her own memories, from those invented ones, or imagined ones acquired through the years from her parents and family members. While on the 5-day journey, Zamorano captured images – and memories – that became the stunning exhibit showcased at Octavia Art Gallery.

Zamorano currently resides in Miami, Florida. In October 2008 she exhibited her work at the Foto America Biennal Event held in Santiago, Chile, and is currently working on two other projects. (bio)

Victoria Montoro Zamorano at Octavia Art Gallery