on Toshareproject.it - curated by Bruce Sterling
*A hard-working guy.
It’s been an exciting year for Refik Anadol Studio (RAS) with installations and exhibitions all over the world, and the announcement of DATALAND opening in 2025 at The Grand LA. We’ve also been hard at work fine-tuning the Large Nature Model (LNM), the foundation on which DATALAND’s first exhibitions will be built, and the model from which many of the works you’ll read about below were derived. Thank you, as always, for being part of our journey. We wish you a wonderful New Year!
From September 21 to 28, 2024, the United Nations headquarters in New York hosted Large Nature Model: Coral, a groundbreaking AI-generated artwork by Refik Anadol Studio, which coincided with the annual United Nations General Assembly and its Summit of the Future. This immersive installation highlighted the fragility and beauty of coral reef ecosystems, offering a poignant call to action on climate change and environmental conservation. Organized in collaboration with the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General, the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, and the RAS AI Foundation, Large Nature Model: Coral stood as a testament to the potential of technology and creative ingenuity to inspire collective action. This marked the first project from the RAS AI Foundation which was founded to increase literacy in artificial intelligence and bridge the gap between technology and humanity. Vilas Dhar, President of the McGovern Foundation, remarked, “Refik Anadol’s brilliant vision allowed us to use technology to engage the senses and spark a deeper emotional connection to our natural world, helping humanity see not just the challenges but the opportunities to build a sustainable future.” The Summit of the Future focused on strengthening multilateralism and addressing critical global issues, including the transformative potential of emerging technologies such as AI. By showcasing Large Nature Model: Coral during this pivotal event, the exhibition reinforced the urgency of collaborative efforts to secure a sustainable future for generations to come.
Intuit Dome, the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers, features Living Arena a dynamic AI data painting by Refik Anadol Studio as part of their ambitious public art initiative. The piece, situated within the outdoor community basketball court, is a 40-by-70-foot LED screen installation that transforms diverse data sources into immersive visual narratives. The artwork unfolds in four chapters: “Urban Dreams,” utilizing live flight information; “Nature Dreams,” incorporating real-time weather data from Inglewood; “Culture Dreams,” featuring historic and realtime Clippers player tracking data; and “California Dreams,” an AI Data Painting created in collaboration with a custom AI model trained on 155 million images of California’s National Parks. We are very grateful to our collector Steve Balmer for supporting this visionary project.
FUTURA SEOUL, a new art space in Bukchon, Gahoe-dong, opened its doors with Echoes of the Earth: Living Archive, the first solo exhibition in Asia by Refik Anadol Studio. On view from September 5, 2024, to January 10, 2025, this groundbreaking exhibition was first conceived and shown at Serpentine in London. The artworks featured in Echoes of the Earth: Living Archive were created using the Large Nature Model (LNM). The exhibition blends AI-generated media art with nature’s visuals and sounds, offering a transformative view of ecosystems’ vital role in sustaining life and showcasing how technology can document and celebrate the natural world. Inside FUTURA SEOUL, the exhibition augments its immersive experience through AI-developed scents replicating near-authentic natural fragrances derived from 500,000 scent molecules.
Refik Anadol Studio debuted a new work, Inner Portrait at Art Basel 2024 for which it received an overwhelmingly successful response. The piece, developed in collaboration with Turkish Airlines to celebrate their 90th anniversary, delved into the transformative power of travel. Marking a significant step in the studio’s ongoing exploration of “collecting” authentic human experiences, Inner Portrait merged AI aesthetics with neurobiology. Focusing on four individuals from four different continents who had never before traveled, the piece used data from their very first journeys by measuring the biological and emotional impact of traveling. The groundbreaking collaboration served as a poetic exploration of human connection and the unseen forces that shape our journeys.
From September 4 to September 24, 2024, the Kennedy Center, in partnership with the 0xCollection, hosted the U.S. premiere of Dvořák Dreams. Displayed at the REACH Plaza, the immersive installation marked the 5th anniversary of the REACH expansion, offering visitors a free opportunity to experience a thrilling fusion of contemporary art, music history, and cutting-edge technology. Dvořák Dreams transformed the musical legacy of Czech composer Antonín Dvořák into a multi-sensory experience. The 32×32-foot AI data sculpture utilized artificial intelligence to interpret Dvořák’s melodies, harmonies, and rhythms, creating transcendent visualizations paired with a unique soundtrack. The work incorporated elements of nature and urban life that inspired the composer, blending traditional art forms with technological innovation to evoke Dvořák’s creative spirit. Dvořák Dreams marked the 0xCollection’s first U.S. presentation, supported by Swiss entrepreneur and Kennedy Center advocate Karel Komárek.
From November 19 to December 31, 2024, Refik Anadol Studio presented Earth Dreams, an AI-powered immersive exhibition at Dubai’s Museum of the Future. Seamlessly integrated with the museum’s iconic architecture, this dynamic installation reimagines the relationship between technology, architecture, and art, offering visitors an unparalleled sensory experience that explores the beauty and complexity of nature. Unfolding in four interconnected chapters, Earth Dreams transforms vast, nature-inspired datasets into fluid, dreamlike visuals that evoke fragmented landscapes and dynamic ecosystems. The exhibition bridges the physical and digital worlds, extending beyond the museum’s walls to engage with the city of Dubai itself.
On October 8, Refik Anadol unveiled a cutting-edge new work at Akbank Headquarters, marking a significant milestone as Turkey’s first permanent artificial intelligence artwork. The opening event celebrated this monumental piece, which explores Akbank’s journey while weaving together themes of history and urban memory. The artwork is divided into four sections and each segment reflects a unique facet of Akbank’s legacy while capturing the evolving rhythm of Istanbul’s cultural and natural landscapes. Spanning an impressive 220 square meters and over 60 million pixels, this immersive installation ranks among Anadol’s three largest works, showcasing his renowned ability to merge data, technology, and architecture into transformative experiences. By blending AI-driven visuals with elements of Istanbul’s natural and cultural essence, the installation underscores Akbank’s role in Turkey’s modern narrative while offering a visionary perspective on how art can honor memory and innovation alike.
Since its inception ten years ago, Refik Anadol Studio has adopted an unwavering commitment to creating public art and a fundamental ethos that art should be for everyone, any age and any background. We are so excited that the studio’s contributions to public art in 2024 were formally recognized by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove. In addition to many of the projects highlighted above, three additional public art projects in 2024 are true stand-outs. The first, Luminex, is a yearly outdoor event featuring exhibitions of digital artists who utilize Downtown Los Angeles’ urban landscape of parking lots and buildings as their canvases. For Luminex 3.0, RAS presented the AI Data Sculpture Artificial Realities: California Landscapes. The second, Data Crystal: OSU is a permanent public art piece in Oregon State University’s Toomey Lobby. The AI Data Sculpture interprets 10,000 hours of audio recordings from Oregon’s forests. Refik Anadol Studio also participated in the massive art initiative PST Art. Organized by Getty, PST Art exhibitions include over 80 institutions and 800 artists. For PST Art, RAS created Machine Hallucinations: Keystone-Mast Collection, an AI-powered installation that transforms the California Museum of Photography’s extensive archive into an immersive visual experience, and Generated Realities: California Landscapes at Art Center College of Design.
This 2024 showreel is a visual compilation of the works by Refik Anadol Studio over the course of 2024. Enjoy and Happy New Year!