In 1952, Christopher Strachey wrote an algorithm for the Manchester Mark 1 computer that generated love letters through a probabilistic process. This early experiment was significant in the history of computing while also being a tender and naïve gesture. Teaching a computer to write a love letter suggests a desire to encode affection into an algorithmic system, to project reciprocity onto a machine, or to express gratitude towards it. When programming a love letter, it is unclear who the letter is for: the algorithm, the viewer, or someone else. It is also unclear who writes it: the artist or the computer? Through her work, Isabel Merchante asks us to participate in this exercise of openness, to appreciate different forms of knowledge, affection, and seeing.

Programming a Love Letter marks Merchante’s first solo exhibition with Purist Gallery, bringing together three of her most significant projects, developed over the past three years. The works presented trace the evolution of her…