All That Remains

In an attempt to save flowers from being discarded, Dahlia Dreszer embarked on a series of "rescue missions"—salvaging arrangements from weddings at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden and local cultural sites. She preserved these flowers for years, holding onto their memories through stages of bloom, wilt, and decay. Inspired by her grandmother, Lily R. Rose, flowers hold a personal significance in Dreszer’s life. As such, All That Remains reflects on the sentiment carried by materials and the human impulse to hold onto what time inevitably takes away.
Throughout this series, wilted petals and fluid paintings fill the frames, signifying time’s passage through color and form. Showcased alongside an artificial intelligence (AI) replica of Dreszer herself, the exhibition further examines how technology can maintain memory beyond impermanence. Created, coded, and nurtured by the artist, Clone Dahlia is taught through Dreszer’s experiences and history of migration. As viewers engage with Clone Dahlia through conversation, the AI model grows more emotionally resonant, acting as a vessel for collective memory. In combination, All That Remains asks how sentimentality, materiality, and technology shape the way memories are preserved and passed on.
Written by Naomi Bitton