REFIK ANADOL

The prolific and progressive new media artist on inspirations, multitasking and why art made with technology isn't as scary as it sounds

- Charmin Nahar

HOW DO MACHINES dream of other worlds? Unsupervised, Refik Anadol’s latest installation at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) in New York, posited the question by incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) and data-driven algorithms in an unprecedent presentation that coalesces 200 years of art curated by the museum. Depicted on towering screens on the museum’s ground floor, the abstract and immersive artwork morphed, evolved and took on new forms to show the possibilities yet to be explored in modern art.

A renowned media artist, Anadol owns and operates Refik Anadol Studio and RAS Lab, the Studio’s research practice centred around discovering and developing trailblazing approaches to data narratives. He is also an esteemed professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and, as his works demonstrate, a pioneer in his field. An early champion for the use of digital data and AI in art, Anadol was among the first to prove that technology and art can co-exist with his public art commissions in San Francisco and Boston in 2017. Having worked on diverse projects spanning projections for the Walt Disney Concert Hall to an installation for Italian jeweller Bulgari, his works exemplify his fascination with science and technology, often ruminating about humanity in a digital age. Anadol chats with us about his philosophies on work, life and, of course, the uncharted possibilities of digital art.

How did your passion for digital art start?