Ryan Koopmans (BA, MFA) and Alice Wexell are an artistic duo whose practice explores the intersections between architecture, nature, and collective memory. Ryan, born in Amsterdam in 1986 and raised on Vancouver Island, studied geography, art history, and psychology at the University of British Columbia before earning a master’s degree in photography, video, and related media at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Alice, based in Stockholm, honed her skills in animation and coding at Lund University in Sweden. Their collaboration combines Ryan’s photographic eye, fascinated by urban structures and their relationship with nature, with Alice’s digital expertise, driven by a passion for creating surreal environments through innovative technologies. Together, they transform abandoned spaces into animated works of art, where digital vegetation, light, and movement breathe new life into places steeped in history, creating a visual poetry that bridges the past and the future. Their flagship project, The Wild Within, launched in 2021, marked a turning point in their careers by reinventing forgotten buildings through a digital rebirth. Their approach, both conceptual and visually striking, has established them as leading figures in contemporary digital art.

Their works, exhibited from Beijing to Miami, including stops in Seoul, Stockholm, and Montreal, have been featured in prestigious institutions and galleries such as Christie’s, Sotheby’s, the Leila Heller Gallery, and the Swedish Pavilion, and highlighted in international media outlets such as Vogue, GQ Middle East, The National, and WIRED. Their work, collected by digital art funds and private collectors, has also been the subject of collaborations with renowned brands and institutions, such as Mercedes-Benz, BOTTO, and SuperRare.


Ryan_Koopmans_&_Alice_Wexell_3D.png

Once Upon A Time

Once_Upon_A_Time_Ryan_Koopmans__Alice_Wexell_3D.mp4

Once Upon a Time is a digital artwork that brings new life into an abandoned building by combining photography with animation to create a surreal, meditative and moving architectural space. The pictured building, built between 1890-1920, is the interior of an old decaying house in the Dannawi neighbourhood of Beirut, Lebanon. A custom musical score has been added by Swedish composer Karl-David Larson.

 

Koopmans and Wexell’s work captures the unrelenting and permanent qualities of nature. By juxtaposing wild and vibrant natural elements with a derelict, built environment, this work invites the viewer to meditate on nature’s resilience relative to human creation.

The piece was premiered at the Lobkowicz Palace in Prague Castle during the exhibition Non-Fungible Castle from October 27 - November 13, 2022.

technique

3d

format

landscape

duration

00:20

year

2022

Transport

WANT TO BRING ART INTO YOUR SPACE?

More from Ryan Koopmans & Alice Wexell

More on digital art

Generative art
Generative art refers to a way of creating artworks using an autonomous system. In digital art, these are usually generated from code and algorithms created by the artist, often with certain predefined parameters or systems. Although these parameters guide the final outcome of the work, generative art is generally a surprising way to create artworks, as the results are often unexpected and the number of possible outcomes can be infinite.
AI
AI art is a branch of generative art that uses artificial intelligence. Unlike other generative artworks, AI artworks use specific complex algorithms and models derived from machine learning. The most common methods for creating AI art today are GANs (generative adversarial networks) or proprietary prompting platforms such as ChatGPT, Sora, Midjourney, or Dall-e.
3D
3D art uses 3D software such as Blender, Cinema4D, Houdini, or video game software such as Unity to create works of art. In 3D works, artists can either arrange assets (the 'objects' in a 3D artwork or world) that they have created themselves or purchased from other creators to create elaborate environments and scenes (an approach to 3D art called 'set dressing'), or specialize in sculpting, which involves creating their own objects and assets.
Photogrammetry
Photogrammetry is a specialized 3D technique that allows 3D objects to be created from numerous photographs taken of an object or scene from multiple angles. These photos are then compiled to determine the specific positioning, shape, and dimensions of the object in space, and then converted into a 3D model. Initially developed for engineering and urban planning, photogrammetry has become a way for artists to produce extremely accurate 3D models from real-life images.
Collage
An extension of the traditional, plastic approach to collage, digital collage involves searching for and cutting out multiple images, extracting them from their original context, and recomposing them in a new arrangement to create a work of art. Artists can use their own photographs or find images on the internet.
Illustration
Digital illustrations are created using software such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or Procreate. As with drawing on paper, the artist uses a stylus to sketch a figure or object, usually on a tablet, to construct a scene or artistic universe. Unlike traditional drawing methods, digital illustration is much more forgiving, as mistakes can be easily corrected and drawn elements and objects can be easily moved around within a scene.
Video
Video artworks primarily use a recording camera, but may sometimes include additional post-processing or editing to distort, modify or add additional elements to the image. Some artists use state-of-the-art recording equipment to create macro zoom-ins or time lapses, privileging fidelity to the subject matter. Others use additional softwares to significantly modify or warp the video, creating an alternative perspective on the world that surrounds us.

Collections with the artist

  • Inside_Worlds_1_MiraRuido_Collage.mp4
    Interiors
    71 artworks
  • Clean_the_world_Nicolas_Monterrat_Collage.mp4
  • Wisdom_is_the_key_to_happiness_Andrei_Stan_Collage.mp4
  • Resonance_of_the_Soul_Barış_Varujan_Kabalak_3D.mp4
  • Where did you scan from

    RATE YOUR EXPERIENCE