Another notable exhibition on view at Leila Heller Gallery is The Wild Within by Ryan Koopmans and Alice Wexell, an internationally renowned artist duo. Running through 14 January 2026, the show presents a series of striking works that explore the interplay between nature, architecture, and the passage of time. Through large-scale prints and immersive screen works, the artists reimagine historic and abandoned built environments as imagined overgrown realms where flora quietly reclaims human-made space, evoking themes of renewal, memory, and the cycle of growth and decay.
At the heart of the exhibition is a dialogue between the natural world and architectural form. Koopmans and Wexell travel to sites with layered histories, from Middle Eastern landmarks to forgotten ruins, to document them through photography before digitally introducing meticulously crafted vegetation, light, and motion. The resulting compositions conjure surreal visions in which ornate interiors and desert spaces become enveloped in blooms, vines, and vibrant foliage. This approach blurs the boundary between documentation and invention. It invites viewers to contemplate how nature and human constructs might converge in speculative futures.
Koopmans and Wexell’s work bridges photography, 3D art, and digital storytelling, offering both a critique and a celebration of how nature and human design intersect, ultimately inviting reflection on transformation, resilience, and the poetic beauty found at the threshold of reality and imagination.
About the artists
Ryan Koopmans (b. 1986, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) is a Dutch-Canadian lens-based artist whose work focuses on the built environment and its relationship with nature, society, and time. Raised in Canada and educated in photography and media (MFA, School of Visual Arts, New York), he has built a practice that merges documentary photography with conceptual exploration of architectural space. His work often emphasizes geometry, repetition, and the poetry of form; he is also the author of Vantage, a book that examines surreal urban landscapes captured around the world.
Alice Livijn Wexell is a Swedish digital artist and photographer based in Stockholm, with a strong grounding in animation, coding, and emerging technologies. Her multidisciplinary practice harnesses innovative digital tools to create immersive, surreal environments. Educated at Lund and Uppsala Universities and Hyper Island, she has collaborated with Koopmans for over a decade, co-creating The Wild Within series and other globally exhibited digital art projects that reimagine architectural spaces through technological and aesthetic intervention.
To get more information about The Sun Years, please go to the official web page of the exhibition.
Additionally, you may be interested in reading our article about festivals and fairs in the UAE in 2026.
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