Art Basel Miami Zero 10
Ixshells Rosendo Merel
Fellowship Artxcode
Fellowship, in collaboration with ARTXCODE, is proud to present No Me Olvides, a new solo exhibition and collection by Ix Shells (Itzel Yard) debuting at Art Basel Miami Beach 2025 as part of the fair’s inaugural Zero 10 space for art of the digital era.
Co-curated by Juan Canela and Alejandro Cartagena, with Emilie Boe Bierlich, who contributed the Nordic curatorial framework originally developed for the acclaimed 2024 exhibition Against All Odds at Denmark’s National Gallery (Statens Museum for Kunst), the presentation continues Yard’s exploration of visibility, data, and cultural memory, linking the histories of Nordic women artists to her own Afro-Caribbean and Latin American heritage through generative systems of light and sound.
No Me Olvides (“Don’t Forget Me”) expands the research into a cross-cultural dialogue on art, gender, and remembrance. Drawing from archives across Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America, Yard, together with long-time collaborator Rosendo Merel Choy, utilizes TouchDesigner, Notch, and LiDAR technologies to transform historic fragments into living algorithmic compositions, reanimating forgotten creative lineages through rhythm, light, and code.
Rooted in research on women artists of the nineteenth century, No Me Olvides creates a temporal bridge between past and present. Through immersive generative visuals and interactive sound, Ix Shells transforms archival materials into a digital choreography of remembrance and renewal.
Curator Juan Canela writes, “This work by Ix Shells emerges from the legacy of pioneering Latin American women artists who developed their practice during the nineteenth century. Through a powerful double gesture, Ix Shells creates a temporal bridge between past and present, updating and reinterpreting their works while simultaneously reclaiming their importance, long buried at the margins of art history.”
Presented as a large-scale digital installation, No Me Olvides unfolds across four algorithmic movements where light, sound, and code merge into an evolving field of abstraction. The viewer’s presence activates sensors that cause patterns to ripple and reform, translating proximity and motion into cascading layers of color and sound. Each generative sequence draws from the tones, gestures, and compositions of the historical works, abstracting brushstrokes into constellations of digital light that pulse in rhythm with the generative score composed by Ix Shells.
The exhibition comprises two 28-minute interactive video installations, ten short video works, and one hundred animated generative works with sound, each built from the same core dataset and conceptual framework.
Curator Alejandro Cartagena writes, "No Me Olvides is a sensorial bridge between erased histories and living code. Treating the archive as material made of colors, texts, geographies, and personal affinities, Ix Shells maps new networks across Europe and Latin America, weaving image and sound into a choreography of “lost pixels” that spill into new questions about art, memory, privilege, and who gets to write history."
SMK Against All Odds – Historical Women and New Algorithms,Copenhagen, Denmark
Against All Odds – Historical Women and New Algorithms, which recently concluded at the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK) in Copenhagen, rewrote art history with an immersive blend of data-driven visuals and enveloping soundscapes. At the heart of its sonic allure was Torso Electronics’ S-4 Sculpting Sampler, the Danish-made instrument powering “Interlink”— a piece by artist Itzel Yard (also known as Ix Shells) — brought to life in collaboration with co-programmer and generative artist Rosendo Merel, resulting in a meditative and ever-evolving audio dimension.
In Against All Odds – Historical Women and New Algorithms, curator Emilie Boe Bierlich and digital curator Majken Overgaard, spotlight the overlooked achievements of 24 Nordic women artists active between 1870 and 1910. Though these artists initially found success — often by leaving their homelands for places like Germany, Italy, France, and Greece — they were later written out of history when a conservative backlash against women emerged. The immersive, interactive piece “Interlink” transforms archival data — ranging from color studies and personal letters to documented travel paths — into dynamic visuals using TouchDesigner, Notch, and LiDAR sensors, bridging historical narratives with cutting-edge technology.
As visitors stepped into a specially designed gallery, motion-sensor technology captured their presence and projected fluid patterns across walls and floors, effectively reviving the spirit of these once-forgotten creators. Interactive elements guided museum-goers through an immersive environment that merged old and new perspectives, illustrating how cutting-edge digital art can breathe new life into overlooked histories and offering a transformative experience that bridged the past and the future.
With a hectic schedule spanning Panama, Miami, Spain and Denmark, Merel was pressed to find a tool that could capture the ethereal essence of these rediscovered artworks. By chance, he discovered Torso Electronics was located right in Copenhagen — an unexpected stroke of serendipity that would define the exhibit’s sonic dimension. From layering delicate textures to triggering expansive reverbs, the S-4’s real-time capabilities mirrored the generative visuals on display. “I needed something that could paint with sound, capturing both the subtlety and grandeur of these forgotten narratives,” Merel explains. “The S-4 gave me freedom to experiment and respond on the fly — exactly what this installation demanded.”
Rosendo emphasizes that sound was pivotal in drawing visitors deeper into the experience rather than merely passing by: “The S-4 allowed us to create evolving textures that encouraged people to linger, explore, and truly engage with the visuals,” he explains. Working closely with the Torso Electronics team, he used the instrument’s granular effects and looping capabilities to craft ambient layers that evolved in sync with the data-driven imagery. “I could perform live with the S-4, adding subtle shifts on the fly and responding to how visitors moved around the space,” Rosendo notes. “This interplay between audio and visuals was crucial for bringing these historical artworks into a new, immersive realm — showing how the past can live and breathe through technology.”
For more information on Against All Odds – Historical Women and New Algorithms, please visit the official SMK website https://www.smk.dk/en/ . To learn more about Torso Electronics and their forward-thinking musical instruments — including the S-4 Sculpting Sampler — head to https://www.torsoelectronics.com.
Learn more about Rosendo Merel:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rozmerel
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@rozmerel
Artworks - https://www.rozmerel.com
Learn more about Ixshells:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ix.shells/
YouTube SMK Museum Interview - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJugiy6aEmc
YouTube - Louisiana Channel Interview - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAS1QpR68gs&t=290s
Artxcode - https://www.artxcode.io/artists/ix-shells