Nexus

30 Aug-18 Sep 2023

Radiant, 2023, Oil on canvas. Credit: Courtesy Unit London

Overview

Ryan Hewett’s latest solo exhibition with Unit London presents a body of work that merges notions of futurism, transhumanism and fantasy. Nexus, drawing its name from a series of connections between multiple points, is inspired by the concept of “Generation Alpha”; the first cohort born entirely into the twenty-first century and, therefore, the digital age. Inspired by his own children, Hewett presents a series of oil paintings that introduces a cast of enigmatic characters, embodying the spirit of a new generation poised to shape the future. These futuristic portraits capture an essence of humanity while also exploring the ethereal and the otherworldly, imagining a space in which fantasy and technological innovation intertwine. Nexus invites viewers into a realm where cyborgs, A.I. and mythical creatures coexist, blurring the lines between what is real and what is imagined.

A natural progression from previous bodies of work, Nexus demonstrates Hewett’s gradual movement towards a fantasy world. The artist no longer uses real life models or reference points. Instead, he draws inspiration from his own imagination. Inspired by notions of transhumanism, a movement that advocates the use of technologies to augment human capability, Hewett creates fantastical yet ultramodern portraits that, nonetheless, retain their humanity. Through a visual language that hovers on the boundary between figuration and abstraction, Hewett searches for a balance between tangibility and immateriality.

Hewett’s dualistic visual language is reflected in his own artistic process, which uses both primed and unprimed areas of canvas to blend rougher and smoother applications of paint. In each portrait, loose brushwork and impasto mingle with clean lines and geometric shapes. Oil paint and canvas remain the artist’s mediums of choice, but he has started to implement less traditional materials, introducing sand to his artworks to create varying surface textures. Hewett has also begun to experiment with monochrome colour palettes, slowly progressing away from the bright hues of earlier bodies of work.

Nexus is the natural next step for the artist, expanding on exhibitions such as H+, which considered the harmony that could exist between the technological and the organic. Nexus takes these ideas further, exploring our increasingly interconnected and technologically advanced society by focusing on the young people navigating and embracing these changes. Hewett’s portraits highlight these ‘digital natives’, a generation that is unlike any other in humankind’s history.