George Byrne's Synthetica exhibition at Show Gallery transforms American landscapes into painterly dreamscapes

George Byrne's solo exhibition Synthetica opens at Show Gallery in Los Angeles from June 13 to July 14, 2024. The Australian artist, based in Los Angeles since 2011, creates photographic works through collage and manipulation, blending urban scenes with natural landscapes. His process involves addition, subtraction, and collage using film photographs taken with a Pentax 67 camera. Byrne cites the New Topographics movement of 1975, curated by William Jenkins and featuring photographers like Robert Adams and Lewis Baltz, as a key influence. The exhibition includes pieces incorporating elements from Daytona Beach, Death Valley, Yellowstone National Park, and Miami's Cuban quarter. Byrne describes his work as exploring dreams, magic, and disassociation, aiming to decentralize locations and create displaced, jumbled environments. One highlighted piece, Mural Wall, Venice (2024), juxtaposes a redwood mural backdrop with urban elements, reflecting the series' theme of blending natural and artificial. Byrne's first solo exhibition was Local Division at Olsen Gallery in Sydney in 2016. He names contemporary artists Robert Moreland, Patricia Treib, Austin Weiner, and Brian Lotti as favorites. Beyond photography, Byrne is working on a new painting series and plans to release music.