Dear Raoul,
The Wild Within is a lens-based art series that breathes new life into historic and abandoned architecture through a fusion of photography, digitally sculpted foliage, and motion.
By transforming real-world spaces into surreal, meditative, moving environments, the artists Ryan Koopmans & Alice Wexell immerse viewers in a realm where past and future, nature and structure, and the physical and digital converge.
Below is a private preview of five select artworks from the artists’ upcoming major solo exhibition, opening 12 November 2025 at Leila Heller Gallery’s location in Dubai, the largest gallery in the Middle East.
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The Wild Within in Context
The Wild Within is the result of a decade-long exploration of abandoned and historically significant architecture, spanning from ancient temples in the Caucasus, villas throughout Europe, and forgotten sites in the Middle East.
Through photography and 3D techniques, Koopmans & Wexell introduce digitally sculpted foliage, lighting and subtle motion, transforming each site into an infinitely looping artwork.
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By rewilding and animating these spaces with modern tools, the artists explore themes of architectural history, landscape art, and the complex relationship between the built and natural worlds.
Many of the depicted buildings have already been demolished or continue to deteriorate, further emphasizing a central concept of the series: the cyclical nature of time.
After the Rain
Torino, Italy, 2025
'After the Rain' is an artwork from The Wild Within set in Northern Italy.
Perched on a mist-laden ridge north of Torino, the abandoned Villa Pallavicino Mossi awakens once more.
Built in the early 1900s as a Second-Empire summer retreat for Marquis Giuseppe Pallavicino Mossi, the residence once surveyed the glacial amphitheatre of Ivrea in quiet splendour.
Decades of neglect have since left its terrazzo floors fractured and its ceilings veiled in mildew.
In 'After the Rain', artists Ryan Koopmans & Alice Wexell reclaim the villa’s lingering spirit.
High-resolution photography and 3D scans capture the structure, and digitally sculpted flora now spills down the staircase through shattered clerestory windows, sparkling in the fresh morning light.
The endless, seamless loop suspends the viewer in place and time.
'After the Rain' displayed at Milan Design Week 2025
Play the artwork fullscreen with the custom musical score by Swedish composer Karl-David Larson.
A New Era
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, 2025
Set within the shifting sands of Sharjah’s desert, A New Era reimagines a once-inhabited settlement in Al Madam where traditional Emirati architecture meets the stillness of the dunes.
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Koopmans & Wexell were drawn to the site for its quiet atmosphere, the clarity of its geometric forms, and the striking palette, soft blue interiors set against the golden light of the surrounding landscape.
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Building on this natural harmony, the artists breathe new life into the abandoned space through subtle animation and digitally sculpted organic growth.
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The result is a contemplative environment where history and imagination converge, offering a surreal vision of nature’s gentle reclamation of the built world.
Play the artwork fullscreen with the custom musical score by Swedish composer Karl-David Larson.
Taif Roses & Diamonds
Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2025
'Taif Roses & Diamonds' depicts a historic building in Al Balad, the old quarter of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its coral-stone houses and wooden latticework.
Once a thriving residential and mercantile center along the Red Sea, much of Al Balad now bears the marks of time, with weathered facades and faded details recalling its layered history.
In this piece, Koopmans & Wexell reimagine the structure through their signature process, combining photography and 3D techniques to introduce digitally sculpted foliage and subtle atmospheric shifts.
Brightly painted rawasheen (wooden shutters and screens) frame views of distant fantastical mountains, while lush blooms in pink and blue reclaim the abandoned threshold, transforming decay into renewal.
The result is a surreal encounter between history and imagination, where the geometry of traditional Hijazi architecture merges with a flourishing natural world.
As with the broader The Wild Within series, the work invites contemplation on impermanence, cultural memory, and the quiet resilience of nature as it reclaims the spaces we leave behind.
Play the artwork fullscreen with the custom musical score by Swedish composer Karl-David Larson.
Memories of the Future
Baku, Azerbaijan, 2025
Set within the now-abandoned “Fantasy Hamam” in Baku, Azerbaijan, 'Memories of the Future' reimagines a once-lavish bathhouse famed for its ornate interiors, painted ceilings, and Romanesque columns.
Long disused and left to decay, the hamam has become a cult symbol of excess, secrecy, and the fantasies of a society in transition.
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Koopmans & Wexell’s photograph of the site is digitally transformed with imagined foliage, butterflies, altered lighting, and other subtle interventions that hint at nature’s quiet reclamation of the man-made.
The result is a surreal sanctuary where past and present meet, and where faded luxury becomes a stage for renewal.
Play the artwork fullscreen with the custom musical score by Swedish composer Karl-David Larson.
Into the Light
Gelebec, Turkey, 2025
'Into the Light' depicts the Aziz Nikolaos Kilisesi (Church of St. Nicholas) in Gelebeç, Turkey, built in 1821 atop the foundations of an older church near the ancient city of Priene, a site linked to the era of Alexander the Great.
Originally serving the village’s Greek Orthodox community, the church was converted into a mosque after the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey.
Despite decades of neglect, its dome, bell tower, and intricate interior details remain, bearing the layered imprint of Byzantine, Greek Orthodox, and Ottoman influences.
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Koopmans & Wexell reimagine the closed-off, deteriorating structure by digitally introducing sculpted foliage, adjusted lighting, and subtle motion, creating a renewed and contemplative atmosphere.
The work invites reflection on the passage of time and the resilience of cultural heritage, transforming a fading monument into a space where history and nature coexist in quiet harmony.
Play the artwork fullscreen with the custom musical score by Swedish composer Karl-David Larson.
About the Artists
Ryan Koopmans (b. 1986) and Alice Wexell (b. 1992) have collaborated on digital art and photography projects worldwide for over a decade.
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Koopmans (BA, MFA) is a Canadian-Dutch lens-based artist whose work explores the built environment and its connection to society. His work has been exhibited and collected globally since 2007, and in 2020 he published Vantage, a book of surreal urban structures.
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Wexell is a Swedish artist who creates imaginative worlds using emerging technologies, with a focus on experimenting with new tools and mediums.
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Artworks from The Wild Within have been exhibited internationally and acquired by leading collectors.
These include the Swedish National Art Collection, influential Web3 figures and funds, the Post-War & Contemporary Art Day Sale at Christie’s London, and the private collection of actor Jim Carrey.