Ryan Koopmans (BA, MFA) is a lens-based artist specializing in reviving abandoned architecture through digital techniques. Partnering with his wife, Swedish artist Alice Wexell, they create captivating digital artworks. Their celebrated project, "The Wild Within," debuted in 2021 and has been collected and exhibited worldwide. The Wild Within is a series of digital artworks that bring new life into abandoned buildings from a bygone era. Based on real-world physical spaces, an animated rebirth into a digital realm is created. Ryan Koopmans & his partner Alice Wexell visited different locations around the world over several years, exploring ruins and photographing structures that have undergone dramatic transition. Upon returning, they digitally introduced vegetation, modified the structure and lighting, and animated the scenes with the intention of reviving the empty spaces, essentially bringing life back into the rooms. The results are a surreal collision between the past and future, natural and manmade, physical and digital, and the real and imaginary. The aim of the artwork is to create a sense of surreal tranquility whilst referencing the themes of architectural history, urban exploration, and the resurgence of nature. Many of the buildings depicted in The Wild Within have been demolished in recent years, further emphasizing the theme of time passing in the cycle of growth and decay.
Koopmans, of Canadian-Dutch heritage, explores the built environment's impact on societies. Wexell, with a particular interest in 3D art and photography, co-creates surreal environments using new technologies.
Ryan Koopmans (BA, MFA) is a lens-based artist specializing in reviving abandoned architecture through digital techniques. Partnering with his wife, Swedish artist Alice Wexell, they create captivating digital artworks. Their celebrated project, "The Wild Within," debuted in 2021 and has been collected and exhibited worldwide. The Wild Within is a series of digital artworks that bring new life into abandoned buildings from a bygone era. Based on real-world physical spaces, an animated rebirth into a digital realm is created. Ryan Koopmans & his partner Alice Wexell visited different locations around the world over several years, exploring ruins and photographing structures that have undergone dramatic transition. Upon returning, they digitally introduced vegetation, modified the structure and lighting, and animated the scenes with the intention of reviving the empty spaces, essentially bringing life back into the rooms. The results are a surreal collision between the past and future, natural and manmade, physical and digital, and the real and imaginary. The aim of the artwork is to create a sense of surreal tranquility whilst referencing the themes of architectural history, urban exploration, and the resurgence of nature. Many of the buildings depicted in The Wild Within have been demolished in recent years, further emphasizing the theme of time passing in the cycle of growth and decay.
Koopmans, of Canadian-Dutch heritage, explores the built environment's impact on societies. Wexell, with a particular interest in 3D art and photography, co-creates surreal environments using new technologies.
