Natural Synthetics | Arsenal Gallery | Central Park | NYC


Natural Synthetics features paintings, installations, and video by the Washington DC-based artist Ryan Hackett. Intrigued by a common desire to find solace in feigned natural environments, Hackett manipulates the forms, colors, and sounds of the natural world into highly immersive experiences. He "samples" auditory and visual elements, repeating and manipulating the sound or image to create a hybrid composition, much like an electronic musician. In one of Hackett’s works, lung-like forms emit the serene sounds of a forest along with a "fresh air" scent, just as layered paintings diffuse photographs of animals and machines, questioning the dichotomy of artifice and nature.

Listen to Monarch Isolation Booth



Listen to Fresh Forest Lungs



All
Painting
Installation
Hybrid Transmissions [ Cicada / Surveillance Camera ], by Ryan Hackett
Hybrid Transmissions [ Cicada / Surveillance Camera ]
Ryan Hackett, 2011
Fresh Forest Lungs, by Ryan Hackett
Fresh Forest Lungs
Ryan Hackett, 2011
Fresh Forest Lungs, by Ryan Hackett
Fresh Forest Lungs (detail)
Ryan Hackett, 2011
Fresh Forest Lungs, by Ryan Hackett
Fresh Forest Lungs (detail)
Ryan Hackett, 2011
Hybrid Transmissions [ Monarch / Mars Rover ]
Ryan Hackett, 2011
Monarch Isolation Booth, by Ryan Hackett
Monarch Isolation Booth
Ryan Hackett, 2011
Monarch Isolation Booth (detail), by Ryan Hackett
Monarch Isolation Booth (detail)
Ryan Hackett, 2011
Monarch Isolation Booth, by Ryan Hackett
Monarch Isolation Booth
Ryan Hackett, 2011
Hybrid Transmission [ Caribou / Antenna ], Ryan Hackett, 2011
Hybrid Transmissions [ Caribou / Antenna ]
Ryan Hackett, 2011
Hybrid Transmissions [ Octopus / Satellite Dish ], Ryan Hackett, 2011
Hybrid Transmissions [ Octopus / Satellite Dish ]
Ryan hackett, 2011