During the Soviet Union, the Georgian town of Tskaltubo was a popular health destination famed for its therapeutic water and luxurious sanatoriums.
Between the 1940’s to 1980’s thousands of people visited each year, including high-ranking officials from Moscow.
The town was renowned for its therapeutic radon-carbonate mineral spring water believed to treat an array of ailments.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, the buildings were deserted and fell into disrepair. Floors were ripped up for firewood, and the metal salvaged as scrap.
Since the early 90's, the buildings have been slowly dismantled and stripped of their valuable materials, leaving empty shells of what were once grandiose classical structures.
Koopmans visited this region over several years, exploring the ruins and photographing these spaces that have undergone dramatic transition.
In collaboration with Alice Wexell, upon returning they digitally introduced vegetation, manipulated the lighting, modified the structures, and animated the scenes with the intention of reviving the empty spaces, essentially bringing life back into the rooms.
With these pieces, Koopmans and Wexell aim to bring the viewer into an alternate place and time.
The artwork has garnered global recognition, finding its place in exhibitions and collections around the world, including prominent digital art funds and private collectors.
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Historical Overview
During the Soviet Union, the Georgian town of Tskaltubo was a popular health destination famed for its therapeutic water and luxurious sanatoriums.
Between the 1940’s to 1980’s thousands of people visited each year, including Stalin and his high-ranking officials from Moscow.
The town was renowned for its therapeutic radon-carbonate mineral spring water believed to treat an array of ailments.
When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, the buildings were deserted and began to fall into disrepair.
In 1992 a war in the nearby region Abkhazia broke out.
Displaced Georgians fled from the conflict and were given temporary shelter in Tskaltubo's unoccupied buildings.
Thirty years later, certain families still inhabit these architectural ruins, enduring squalid conditions and limited amenities.
The Concept of Growth & Decay
Since the early 90's, the buildings have been slowly dismantled and stripped of their valuable materials, leaving empty shells of what were once grandiose classical structures.
Floors were ripped up for firewood, and the metal salvaged as scrap.
The architectural deconstruction and decay persist, while nature gradually engulfs these human-made structures.
Witnessing this natural resurgence inspired us to accentuate the concept, creatively incorporating animated foliage and light into the interior photographs that we captured.
This fusing of fact and fiction illuminated the dichotomies of nature/architecture, physical/digital, and growth/decay, and gave birth to the first artworks of The Wild Within.
A fern emerges from the floor.
Soviet-era postcards found in the ruins.
International Exposure
Artworks from The Wild Within reside in esteemed private collections across the globe and have graced various galleries and platforms through exhibitions and editorial features.
Exhibitions
2024 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Enter Art Fair
2024 - London, UK - Photo London with Leila Heller Gallery
2024 - Nashville, USA - The BitGala at Bitcoin Nashville 2024
2024 - Nashville, USA - Inscribing Atlantis Exhibition
2024 - London, UK - Ideaworks Studio with Digital Art Week London
2024 - Paris, France - Metaversal x Lumen Prize, The Future of Art
2024 - Belgium - Public display on 760 screens nationwide by Clear Channel x Artcrush Gallery
2024 - Paris, France - SuperRare Showcase at IHAM Gallery
2024 - Reggio Emilia, Italy - Cabinets of Ether
2023 - Miami, USA - Faena Forum at Art Basel Miami Beach presented by Christie's New York
2023 - Dubai, UAE - Christie's Art Auction House and Exhibition Space
2023 - Dubai, UAE - Luxeverse at Museum of The Future
2023 - Zug, Switzerland - Spice Journeys Exhibition at Unpaired Gallery
2023 - Istanbul, Turkey - NFTIST Digital Art Exhibition at Planeth
2023 - New Delhi, India - MASH Gala with BENNFT Gallery
2023 - Barcelona, Spain - Lezar House Group Exhibition
2023 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands - MET Amsterdam Exhibition at Westergasfabriek
2023 - Los Angeles, USA - Outliers Exhibition at Foundry Gallery by PROOF
2023 - Mumbai, India - Architectural Digest Design Show with BENNFT Gallery
2023 - Seoul, South Korea - Billboard Exhibition with Art Innovation Gallery during Frieze Art Fair
2023 - Seoul, South Korea - Beyond Seoul Exhibition by Trippy Labs with Korea Blockchain Week
2023 - Austin TX, USA - Group Exhibition at Permissionless II Summit
2023 - Boston MA, USA - Pellas Gallery at Boston Blockchain Week
2023 - Stockholm, Sweden - Way Gallery at Epicenter Stockholm
2023 - Tokyo, Japan - Reach For The Future Exhibition
2023 - Cannes, France - Jane Goodall Institute Auction at Cannes Film Festival
2023 - NYC, USA - SuperRare Event at South Street Seaport
2023 - NYC, USA - Unfold x SHILLR exhibition
2023 - NYC, USA - Transient Labs Outliers at Oculus World Trade Center
2023 - NYC, USA - Crypt Gallery x Dream Downtown
2023 - Paris, France - Natively Digital at Sotheby's France
2023 - Boston, USA - Steve Aoki Hiroquest Tour
2022 - Miami, USA - Monolith at SCOPE Miami Art Week
2022 - Miami, USA - Floating Pixels at Miami Art Week
2022 - Miami, USA - Unfold x SHILLR exhibition at Miami Art Week
2022 - Montreal, Canada - SuperRare & 0x Society - The Wild Within
2022 - Prague, Czech Republic - NFCastle at House of Lobkowicz
2022 - Los Angeles, USA - ‘Frame of Mind, State of Time, Life Online’
2022 - Beijing, China - Yongle Auction Spring 2022
2022 - NYC, USA - MODA presents A Question For Time exhibition
2022 - NYC, USA - SuperRare Gallery x Jonathan Little exhibition
2022 - NYC, USA - Ben Skaar Curation at the South Street Seaport
2022 - NYC, USA - Time Square Showcase by NFT NYC
2022 - NYC, USA - The Pyramid Screen by NFTSea
2022 - Venice, Italy - Decentral Art Pavilion
2022 - NYC, USA - Crypt Gallery x Dream Downtown
2022 - Miami, USA - Blackdove Gallery at BTC Miami
2022 - Liverpool, UK - NFT Liverpool
2022 - Stockholm, Sweden - Way Gallery
2022 - New York, USA - SuperRare Monolith
2022 - Stockholm, Sweden - OtherLands NFT Festival
2021 - Montreal, Canada - 0x Society
2021 - Calgary, Canada - Photoville 'The Fence'
2021 - Tokyo, Japan - NEO Shibuya Screen
2021 - Miami, USA - SuperRare Monolith
2021 - Miami, USA - The Temporal Gallery at Flagler Street
2021 - Miami, USA - MoDa The Wall at Factory Town
2021 - Dubai, UAE - WOW Summit
Selected Press
Bitcoin Magazine - An Interview Regarding 'The Origin' Inscription Artwork
Cool Hunting Highlights Photo London 2024
WePresent by WeTransfer - The Duo Digitally Reviving Abandoned Buildings
Design Boom - The Enchanted Hour: A Hypnotic Cuckoo Clock
Department of Cultural & Environmental Heritage at the University of Milan
Visual Atelier 8 - The Enchanted Hour: A Mesmerizing Artwork Merging Time & Imagination
The Inspiration Grid - The Enchanted Hour: A digital artwork that interacts with the time of day
NFT NOW - ‘The Enchanted Hour’: Architectural Marvel Captured Onchain
SuperRare Magazine - Curated Conversations: Botto collaborated with Ryan Koopmans
HypeMoon by HypeBeast - 'Sanctuary' - Immersive Artwork
Visual Atelier 8 - 'Sanctuary' - A Meditative Digital Artwork
I See You Gallery - Interview with Ryan Koopmans
Condé Nast Traveler - Deserted Soviet Town Is Attracting New Visitors Through Art
Artnet - Venice Biennale
Tabi Labo - Garden Of The Gods
New York Post - Jim Carrey Buys NFT
0x Society - Interview with Ryan Koopmans
Visual Atelier 8 - Surreal Architectural Realms By Ryan Koopmans
Fast Company - These Abandoned Soviet Buildings Got A Hauntingly Gorgeous Makeover
Design Boom - Abandoned Soviet Architecture Digitally Revived With Dancing Flowers
SuperRare Editorial 2021 - The Wild Within
Architectural Digest - Photographer Spent Five Years Capturing Abandoned Soviet-Era Spas
Calvert Journal - Home From Home
CNN - The Abandoned Soviet-era Spas A Community Of Refugees Calls Home
GQ Magazine - Inside The City That Time Forgot
WIRED - The Abandoned Soviet Spas Inhabited by Georgian Refugees
Creative Boom - Decaying Spas of the USSR
SuperRare Editorial 2022 - The Power Of Nature Compels You
Podcasts & Audio Interviews
The Future of Art w/ Roger Dickerman: Architecture, Nature & Long Term Vantage Point
PROMPT3D hosted by SHILLR: Conversation with Ryan Koopmans
NorCal and Shill Season 1 Episode 92: The Wild Within
Botto Talks: From Curation to Collab: Ryan Koopmans & Alice Wexell
Scrapbook - Episode 4: A Conversation with Ryan Koopmans
