Refik Anadol’s Dataland: You Feel the A.I. Art, and It Feels You Back
Refik Anadol’s Dataland: You Feel the A.I. Art, and It Feels You Back
Publish Date: 2026-06-05 05:01:00
Source Domain: www.nytimes.com
- Dataland, a museum dedicated to AI art, is set to open in downtown Los Angeles and is being hailed as a groundbreaking addition to the city’s art/tech sector.
- The museum is co-founded by Refik Anadol and his wife Efsun Erkiliç, featuring dynamic, AI-generated art inspired by data from rainforest butterflies and other Amazonian creatures.
- Anadol’s AI algorithms transform rainforest data into visually engaging and interactive artworks, responding to visitors’ movements and physiological data collected via wearable devices.
- Anadol’s work, including his highly acclaimed but controversial “Unsupervised” exhibition at MoMA, has been displayed globally but generated mixed reviews.
- Dataland also aims to bridge the digital and physical worlds, incorporating interactive elements like scents and tastes, and offering one-of-a-kind experiences like a VIP robot arm painting service based on personal data.
- The museum’s Infinity Room features an immersive A.I.-generated film and reflects how Anadol sees interconnected nature, and it includes a poignant reference to an extinct Hawaiian bird.
- Dataland’s creation was accelerated by the pandemic, as Anadol and Erkiliç sought to bridge the physical and digital realms.
- The museum officially opens on June 20 at the Grand LA, with entry fees ranging from $49 to $79.