Refik Anadol: How he turns data art into an experience
Since 2008 the Turkish designer has been dealing with the question of what it means to be human in the age of artificial intelligence. He uses machine learning algorithms rather than tangible tools such as brushes and paint to create his artworks.
"Painting makes use of pigments and the imagination of human consciousness. As a media artist (...) I use data as pigments. Then my painting is the "thinking brush" that I dip into the machine's consciousness and paint with it," Anadol muses about his concept in an interview with Monopol Magazine.
Machine Hallucinations: Nature Dreams was created from millions of nature photographs
The exhibition Machine Hallucinations: Nature Dreams was developed especially for the König Gallery. It is Anadol's second major solo exhibition in Germany. Two years ago he presented his installation Latent Being. Now he returns to Berlin to exhibit the results of his aesthetic research on the intersection of human consciousness, environmental data and machine intelligence.
König gallery is showing a total of three projects by the artist, which draw on extensive photographic data sets. The exhibition opens in the basement with a series of data paintings that captivate the viewer right from the start. The centerpiece is made up of the 20m2 data sculpture Nature Dreams on the upper floor of the gallery.
A wide, empty space in front of the installation invites visitors to linger while computer-generated natural pigments move in constant motion across the screen, captivating them with their rhythmic dynamics. The exhibition closes with the installation Winds Of Berlin, a live projection onto the building's tower based on weather data from the city.
Anadol's team created these artworks by gathering data from digital archives and publicly available records of nature images.
Dynamic art that adapts to our modern media consumption?
Machine Hallucinations: Nature Dreams not only fascinated its analogue audience in no time, the exhibition also went viral on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. But what is so fascinating about these dynamic data artworks?
As the pigments constantly rearrange themselves into an indeterminate harmonious rhythm, new color constellations and patterns keep being formed. Viewers experience a type of peacefulness while constantly being kept at their feet, wondering what shape will come next. Expanding, merging, even dancing across the screen, you're overwhelmed by never-ending colorful waves, a vicious mass overtaking you.
Perhaps this appeals to us precisely because it satisfies our need for a steady influx of stimuli. The exhibition never fails to keep our attention and to keep us engaged, much like the social media platforms on which the exhibition is so beloved.
If you want to experience its magnetic appeal yourself, you can admire his art until 17 December at the König Galerie in Berlin.
The pigments constantly redistribute themselves in an indeterminate, harmonious rhythm, continuously join together to form new colour constellations and patterns. They expand, merge, dance across the screen and make lazy waves, like a viscous mass.
