The Invisible Visible: REFIK ANADOL

Refik Anadol explores how time and space radically changing now that technologies have become an integral part of our everyday lives. From his recent exhibition Unsupervised at the MoMA New York, to WDCH Dreams (2018–), which was originally projected onto Frank Gehry’s iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the multi-award-winning Turkish-American artist is a master of reconstructing realities. He does so by combining new media technology and data with art and physical experiences via what is called ‘post-digital architecture,’ inviting his viewers to a sensorial and disruptive experience through beautiful abstract forms, colours, and simulated textures.

hube: The colour palette available to digital artists is almost limitless; the freedom and possibilities that such a range offers seems intimidating. How do you handle working with so many options?

Refik Anadol: I think artificial intelligence is like my assistant. My colour palette comes from the data archive that I use, and it can be clouds, this can be flowers, nature, cities—I don’t have any bias about the colour in the very first stage. Let’s say we’re talking about all the flowers in the world, maybe seven million images of flowers collected. Can you imagine that perhaps 16,000 species exist in nature? And I can paint with all their colours. I think it’s a huge privilege rather than a problem or challenge. I let AI create these moments for me; and sometimes I don’t like the color palette so I manipulate it, like a co-creation. It’s a 50-50 human-machine collaboration. What is amazing is that to make this happen, over the last seven years I’ve been writing software. I was looking for a tool that didn’t exist in the art world so I had to create a new approach to creativity with AI. But now, I mostly use the freedom of my imagination.

h: The size of your artworks changes the way that they are perceived. Such scale is thrilling: it seems capable of both enchanting and overwhelming the audience. Scale is clearly an important element of your work. How do you work with it?

RA: My general feeling about making art started with architecture. Back in 2008, I coined ‘data painting.’ Since then, I’ve always imagined architecture as a canvas. Architecture means it’s bigger than us. From its surfaces to walls to facades, these are things that have a significant impact on our everyday lives. This can be a building-like cultural beacon like Frank Gehry’s Disney Hall, Zaha Hadid’s museums, or Gaudi’s Casa Batlló. I consider them my heroes. So, my understanding of scale starts with architecture and, when I start with that, I always imagine the works I’ve been doing in public spaces have something to say about architecture. It’s not coming from ego, it’s coming from architecture references. If I think like this, then our works like in Art Basel Miami or Podostrog or in MoMA and many other locations where we really challenged the scale to give an architectural contextto artwork. To me, scale comes from that perspective.

h: Your data-driven algorithms create works that seem to imitate organic life. This is frightening and captivating at the same time, much like everything related to AI theory. What are your thoughts on the future of human-machine relations? Do you have any concerns?

RA: I think there will be a 100-percent shift in the quality of creativity. Finally, people are starting to understand how powerful these algorithms can be. However, there is also this problem linked to it, and the idea of creating art isn’t just prompt engineering, it’s not just plotting a bunch of images on text. Creativity also starts after that. How do we exhibit it, how do we share these things, how do we put our own ways of thinking in it? I think that’s a very important part that will make a new lead in creativity and create new ways of seeing creativity. I’ve always seen AI as an extension of the human mind and not a threat. It’s a way to enhance it, and to do so a lot of thinking is required. Let’s imagine an artist who is always working with the same brush and the same pigment and canvas. Every morning when you wake up you have the same tools. But when it comes to AI everything has changed the next morning. It’s not a place for people who wish to stay in their comfort zone, it’s a place for people who welcome changes, evolutions, and finding new journeys. We have to be sure that this creativity comes with these other challenges and reality.

h: A significant group of people see NFTs solely as an information storage technology, one that does not generate new artistic techniques or expand the creative freedom of the artist. What is your opinion on this?

RA: I think it is giving us new ways and new perspectives. It’s true that it is still a technique of sharing, a technique of creating an asset in a blockchain and validating the owner and the collector. I’m aware of this, but it also creates transparency and gives the collector the opportunity to own something beyond just a static image or video. This is where I get excited. Of course, there is also the charity aspect. I was able to contribute in making a positive impact, in particular during the earthquake in Istanbul or through UNICEF or Alzheimer foundations. I would not have done that if it weren’t for the ex istence of NFTs. We’ve donated more than $5-million dollars to charity. They allowed me to enlarge and reach out to my audience, creating communities around my work.

I’ve been working for more than 10 years, but I didn’t have this function of sharing and selling. I think that my community is part of something bigger than me, than us. The function is bigger than the technique, [which isn’t] the only thing that inspires [others]. In the beginning it was inspiring to many people—writing, open-sourcing, being transparent in the blockchain as opposed to the physical galleries in the world.

I don’t have gallery representation. I’ve been independent since day one. I’ve worked with galleries, of course, for some exhibitions, but I don’t have any of them representing me, being on my back 24/7. It’s important for artists making independent movements, this facilitates a lot, giving you the power to share, sell, exhibit, and exchange. It’s a brilliant and powerful tool for artists and for ecosystems. Before there was a lack of value for the system, digital art wouldn’t get the same intention as before. I think it solved more problems than just technical features.

h: You actively participate in charitable and humanitarian aid programs. We really ad mire your collaboration with UNICEF and, of course, your recent initiative supporting earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. Humans are central to your creative work and your philanthropy, why so?

RA: I started my career and my life in not-the-best conditions. My family wasn’t wealthy, and the first time I ever came across the idea of charity was when I was a student and applying for a scholarship to help cover the cost of my education. That was an incredible challenge, but also a privilege. Later on, I reached a point when it was time to give back. Life is not just about receiving, it has much more depth and context when you give back. In my work, I find things that connect humanity. I’m looking for patterns and things that connect us rather than separate us. Often, I find this issue in old or even young people where help is needed. In any of our charity projects, we all believe that it isn’t just shiny pixels. Our impact is tangible, it is very important for us, for our studio, for our ethics and for our mission for humanity.

h: Modern technology, particularly in the form of communication, is creating new kinds of visual experiences. How do you imagine the audience will interact with your work in the next 50–100 years? And do you have any thoughts on what they might be like?

RA: What I’m seeing is an incredibly exciting and diverse audience, specifically at our current show in Los Angeles in Jeffrey Deitch gallery. I’ve been going on the weekend to say ‘Hi!’ to people because there is a significantly high attendance there—about a thousand people coming in every weekend. I was so surprised since it’s not a big space, but I felt like something special was happening at this humble little exhibition. I saw a di verse crowd, from all ages, with incredibly brilliant questions, people discovering what AI means for the first time. Their positivity, their engagement, the connection between family members in the immersive rooms, it’s just powerful.

But it’s not the first time I’m seeing that. I’ve also seen that at MoMA, which is an iconic venue; every artist would dream to have a piece there. And our work has been creat ing a whole different levelof engagement. If you look at the photo from the people, a significant amount of the audience across the world is enjoying and sharing the piece, and finding deep questions about creativity with AI.

So the good news is our work is now across the world. This brings responsibility, of course. How we can use this attention to achieve powerful, meaningful, and purposeful things. That’s what I’m trying to think about. My mission was always to make art for anyone of any age, of any background, I never believed in this elitist, very top-to-bottom-looking world of critics defining the audience. I was 100-percent ready to disrupt these biases, borders and I think it’s happening. Our work unifies, creating safe and secure spaces, which also comes from being open about our processes. If you go to any of our shows, you’ll see a dedicated screen talking about how the art works were created. I never hide the name of the algorithms, where our data is coming from, the images, sounds, or texts. It just makes people feel connected and feel that what they are seeing is not just a product or a service, it makes them feel special.

h: We’re interested in the relationship between science and art—how do you perceive it? And what do you think the future of this relationship will look like?

RA: It’s always been there, the idea of innovation and artists looking at science to enhance their creativity. It’s always been like that since at least Leonardo Da Vinci’s time, maybe even much earlier. It’s rooted in nature. We all think there is a big separation between the future, the past, and the now. I think art and science will always be together in many different forms. In our case, we use AI, neuroscience; we use complex research and scholarly thinking of philosophy, literature, and cinema. All these disciplines have their own scientific discoveries. What is amazing is when you push the boundaries of imagination, when you are in the age of ‘what has been done,’ and when you become the pioneer of the field. You always have these breakthroughs, and it always comes from art, science, and technology. It just brings innovation and discoveries, and it really inspires me so much. Making the invisible visible has been our fundamental role in the studio for 10 years now. I’m really grateful for our partners in academia, such as the scientists we worked with, quantum physicians, [and the] many people [that] allowed us to open their research. And by sharing their research with us, it allowed us to get wider perspectives. I think art and science will come together more and more every single day.