March 13 – May 31, 2025

RYAN LEE Gallery is pleased to present Hypertelic by Laura Splan, on view in RLWindow. These symmetrical, kaleidoscopic animations from her Unraveling series were created using molecular visualization software and SARS spike protein models. The animations show proteins folding into the exact molecular structure that is necessary for them to function properly. In this case, spike proteins are of particular interest to researchers due to the role they play in infection and antibody reception.

Splan embraces a posthuman approach, seeking to upset anthropocentrism and complicate our interpretation of our place in the interconnected ecosystem. In this project, like much of her work, Splan mediates nature through technology, examining the ways in which humans understand and interact with the natural world that surrounds us. Even though these animations are a realistic view of protein structures, they are still a technological representation of viruses – our diagrammatic view of them is several steps removed from what they actually look like. 

What does it mean to portray a serious, sometimes deadly virus in a beautiful way? Splan seeks to captivate the viewer with pleasing and mesmerizing images so that they are enticed to spend more time with this conceptually layered work. The act of unraveling a protein is also a gesture that makes it unable to cause disease, injecting a tinge of hope and healing with a performatively disruptive process. Splan often works with textiles in her practice, and draws a connection between the meditative state of mind invoked by watching these repetitive animations and the soothing experience of needlework crafts.

Starting in spring 2025, a group of related prints will be on view at the NYU Langone Art Gallery, NY. 

Working at the intersections of science, technology, and culture, Laura Splan’s work cultivates intuitive comprehension of the interconnectedness of cultural and biological systems. Her internationally recognized artworks and exhibitions have been presented at the Brooklyn Museum, NY; Centre d’Art Santa Mònica, Spain; Galerie FOFA, Canada; Musea Brugge, Belgium; Museum of Arts and Design, NY; Museum of Modern Art, NY; The Nobel Prize Museum at Liljevalchs, Sweden; Pioneer Works, NY; and SÍM, Iceland. Her work is represented in the collections of Thoma Art Foundation and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Her research has been supported by the Simons Foundation, Jerome Foundation, EY Metaverse Lab, and NEW INC at the New Museum. Splan’s contributions to contemporary art have garnered numerous awards including the Herringer Prize for Excellence in Art, Wave Farm’s Media Arts Assistance Fund for Artists Grant, and AS220’s National Endowment for the Arts Digital Arts Fellowship.