Monuments to Lateral Knowledge

Monuments to Lateral Knowledge by Venezuelan, St. Louis–based artist Sebastián Llovera looks at what gets left out in dominant canons of knowledge. The artist feeds excluded archives into machine learning systems to reveal these gaps. Monuments features an array of both plant-based resin sculptures and ceramic sculptures made of 3D-printed Missouri red clay. Llovera trained AI systems, called LoRA models, using his own collected datasets to help create each piece. To make the sculptures, he first trains a visual model using photographs. Then he turns certain results into 3D files. Two large ceramic “counter-monuments” are placed alongside 19th-century architectural artifacts from NBAC’s collection. Smaller sculptures are placed next to specific historic artifacts that inspired them.

Llovera’s library intervention is a further expression of his “Global South Manifest,” a curated archive of books about nature, technology, and culture, which connect directly to the project’s visual datasets. In collaboration with Rolando Carmona, Llovera is developing a glossary through an open call to young writers and artists across South America: a model for intervening directly into a canon. Visitors are invited to handle and browse the physical books. They can also explore the digital archive on the computer. You can access Monuments’ archival, bilingual website here. The website is an evolving resource designed to expand over the next decade.