“Black Market Bodies,” 2026
Bleached and collaged denim on panel
36 x 64 inches
Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
Artist Nick Doyle creates collaged denim works that symbolize the American West. In his solo exhibition titled Collective Hallucinations, Doyle explores the mythologies inherent in the fabric, its representation of Americana, and its associations with workwear and masculinity. He does this, in part, by creating collages of aviator sunglasses, desert cacti, and mountainous landscapes. They recall the past, but with his addition of AI, he’s also leaning into the future.
Doyle’s denim comprises much of the work in Collective Hallucinations, now on view at Perrotin in New York. Navigating the past with the present, two of his standout pieces include a reimagining of photographs shot by Ansel Adams, the celebrated landscape photographer who chronicled the tranquil beauty of America’s landscapes. Doyle has recreated portions of the images with a twist. One is visible only from a brick wall, while a chain-link fence partially obscures the other. The message is to look, but never touch.
The artist bounces between eras, moving effortlessly between the past and present—even when it might make us do a double-take. In contrast to Doyle’s handcrafted creations, his foray into AI is a centerpiece of the exhibition titled Mirror, Mirror. The installation is a structure that you enter, its exterior facade reminiscent of something you’d see in a strip mall. In its window, a sign says “Psychic Readings $10 Special.” Once inside, you’re greeted by Ava, an AI avatar described as a “diva oracle with a twist.”
While surprising, given the very tactile nature of his work, conceptually, the use of AI plays into Doyle’s greater understanding of the American West. “The American landscape has always symbolized the promise of a better future and has simultaneously paralleled technological advances that have given way to our country’s notions of progress,” he said in an interview with Cultvist. “These ideas of western expansion have continued to resonate in Silicon Valley leading us into the new digital frontier of AI.”
“I was reading a history of California and thinking about how America has always been promoting this idea of ‘future,’ ” he continued. “It’s the cornerstone of how the West has been financed. Currently, America’s financial future is completely tied into the promise of an AI revolution. I think my brain thought an AI Psychic was a logical conclusion. A lot of people are worried about the future and what this all means for humanity, spiritually and economically. I tend to think with not only a collage sensibility but with a construction sensibility. I like to break things apart and then reconstruct them, whether that be a concept, an image, or a medium. So I see AI as just another form to play with. Like an X-acto knife or a paintbrush.”
Collective Hallucinations is on view until May 30, 2026, at Perrotin in New York City.
Artist Nick Doyle creates collaged denim works that symbolize the American West.
“Black Market Bodies,” 2026
Bleached and collaged denim on panel?
36 x 64 inches
Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
“Black Market Bodies,” 2026
Bleached and collaged denim on panel
36 x 64 inches
Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
In his solo exhibition titled Collective Hallucinations, Doyle explores the mythologies inherent in the fabric, its representation of Americana, and its associations with workwear and masculinity.
“Here We Go Round the Prickly Pear Bush,” 2026
Bleached and collaged denim on panel
48 x 26 inches
Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
“First Come the Dreamers,” 2026
Bleached and collaged denim on panel
25 x 72 inches
Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
“Black Market Bodies,” 2026
Bleached and collaged denim on panel
36 x 64 inches
Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
“First Come the Dreamers,” 2026
Bleached and collaged denim on panel
25 x 72 inches
Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
He does this, in part, by creating collages of aviator sunglasses, desert cacti, and mountainous landscapes. They recall the past, but with his addition of AI, he’s also leaning into the future.
Installation view of Nick Doyle's exhibition “Collective Hallucinations” at Perrotin New York, 2026
Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli
Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
Installation view of Nick Doyle's exhibition “Collective Hallucinations” at Perrotin New York, 2026
Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli
Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
Installation view of Nick Doyle's exhibition “Collective Hallucinations” at Perrotin New York, 2026
Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli
Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
Installation view of Nick Doyle's exhibition “Collective Hallucinations” at Perrotin New York, 2026
Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli
Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
In contrast to Doyle’s handcrafted creations, his foray into AI is a centerpiece of the exhibition titled Mirror, Mirror.
Installation view of Nick Doyle's exhibition “Collective Hallucinations” at Perrotin New York, 2026
Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli
Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
Nick Doyle, “Mirror, Mirror,” 2026
Denim, steel, aluminum, spray paint, lexan, plywood, 2x4s, sheet metal screws, LED Neon, insulation foam, sound proofing foam, fiberglass insulation, the frame lcd screen, fluorescent lights, electrical wire, speakers, amplifier, hey gen avatar generator, chat gpt, eleven labs
102 x 168 x 96 inches
Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
The installation is a structure that you enter, its exterior facade reminiscent of something you’d see in a strip mall.
Nick Doyle, “Mirror, Mirror,” 2026
Denim, steel, aluminum, spray paint, lexan, plywood, 2x4s, sheet metal screws, LED Neon, insulation foam, sound proofing foam, fiberglass insulation, the frame lcd screen, fluorescent lights, electrical wire, speakers, amplifier, hey gen avatar generator, chat gpt, eleven labs
102 x 168 x 96 inches
Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
Once inside, you’re greeted by Ava, an AI avatar described as a “diva oracle with a twist.”
Nick Doyle, “Mirror, Mirror,” 2026
Denim, steel, aluminum, spray paint, lexan, plywood, 2x4s, sheet metal screws, LED Neon, insulation foam, sound proofing foam, fiberglass insulation, the frame lcd screen, fluorescent lights, electrical wire, speakers, amplifier, hey gen avatar generator, chat gpt, eleven labs
102 x 168 x 96 inches
Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
