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.

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.

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.

Once inside, you’re greeted by Ava, an AI avatar described as a “diva oracle with a twist.”

Exhibition Information:
Nick Doyle
Collective Hallucinations
April 24, 2026–May 30, 2026
Perrotin
130 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002, U.S.A.

Nick Doyle: Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Perrotin.

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