Emma Webster is preparing her first solo exhibition with Petzel gallery, opening April 30, featuring paintings of domestic animals like horses, cows, and dogs. The Los Angeles-based artist uses a multi-step process: building physical maquettes from clay and wire, 3D-scanning them, rendering digital dioramas in Blender, and then painting from those digital references. For the first time, she will also project the digital diorama in the gallery's entryway for viewers to interact with in real time.
The exhibition matters because it showcases Webster's unique hybrid approach that bridges traditional painting with digital tools, reflecting contemporary debates about technology in art. Her work explores themes of passivity, power dynamics, and the hybrid nature of identity, using animals as subjects that challenge viewers' perceptions. By displaying the digital diorama alongside the paintings, Webster invites audiences into her creative process, emphasizing the layered, constructed realities that define her practice.