“I like to explore how our perception of time and space is changing now that machines dominate our everyday lives,” Anadol explains. “I’m intrigued by the ways in which AI allows us to develop new techniques for creating enriched immersive environments that offer a dynamic perception of space.”

For Anadol AI is more than just machine-learning algorithms. Nowadays, machines learn from data sources by recognising patterns and can then come up with new patterns depending on what they’ve learned. “Technically, this data is the memory for AI,” Anadol adds. “And that memory can take many forms in terms of colour and texture. As an artist, I’m interested not only in how the technology can create realistic images but also how it can create hallucinatory experiences from these memories".

As AI develops it will not only revolutionise the arts, it also has the potential to help us design new solutions for our problems. AI is already used in medical settings to diagnose illnesses faster and more accurately than humans, and it can also help design more effective treatments. It will eventually become a collaborative tool that we all use every day. As we incorporate AI into our lives, workplaces of the future will have to evolve because it will be able to replace people in many spheres and industries. Anadol sees the positive side, however, because AI will create many new jobs at the same time.

Revolutionising art in the digital age
As a pioneer in his field, and the first to use artificial intelligence in a public artwork, Anadol creates at the intersection of humans and machines. By collecting data that flows around us as the primary material and a computerised mind as a collaborator, Anadol and his team paint with a thinking brush, offering radical visualisations of our digitised memories. The unique approach expands the possibilites of architecture, narrative, space and time. This results in site-specific AI data sculptures, live audio-visual performances, immersive installations, and NFTs in many forms. Entire buildings come to life, floors, walls, and ceilings disappear into infinity, breathtaking aesthetics take shape from large swaths of data, and what was once invisible to the human eye becomes visible, offering the audience new perspectives. At the same time his works encourage us to rethink our engagement with the world, its temporal dimensions, and the creative potential of machines.

In an era of unprecedented climatic upheaval, he’s also aware of the environmental impact of his work. “I’m very careful when it comes to energy usage,” he concludes. “I use non-energy intensive blockchain technologies, and I rely on cloud computing because this low-energy solution helps minimise my impact on nature.”

For his productions he brings artists, cutting-edge data scientists, and renowned researchers together which puts him at the at crossroads of art, science, and technology. His performances have been featured at iconic landmarks, museums and festivals worldwide and received a number of awards and prizes. As an early adopter of blockchain technology, Anadol also set a new Asian record for the most expensive NFT collection sold by a single artist. 

The impact of AI and digital disruption on the arts scene and art investing

Anadol doesn’t believe AI-generated art will make traditional artists obsolete because using AI will create more digital opportunities for artists to develop their craft. They may even be able to probe dimensions that were previously alien to them. “Artists of the future will be able to explore worlds they could never have imagined in the past,” he continues, “so in a way it will raise the bar for conventional art.”

However, AI-generated art is an area that may need some form of regulation. At the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards, for example, German artist Boris Eldagsen’s entry, ’Pseudomnesia: The Electrician’, won the creative open category, but Eldagsen then refused to accept the award after admitting that his work was actually created by AI. Many artists and photographers have already launched legal action because they are concerned that AI is unfairly exploiting the works of world-renowned artists, although some believe that AI is just another creative tool that can generate valuable works in what could become a new category of art.

As an artist, ownership of the works that are created is a critical consideration. The artist’s journey and experience are what give traditional works their value, and Anadol believes that the same should hold true with pieces created by his software. “I can decide whether a piece should be sold to a collector, whether it should be offered to a museum, or whether it should simply be made available to everyone,” he adds.

Julius Baer’s support for the arts and exploration of trends shaping our future

Julius Baer recently launched its ‘NEXT’ initiative, which is designed to encourage interdisciplinary exploration of megatrends across the arts, science and technology. NEXT demonstrates how these fields can interact to create new perspectives and provides a reflection of society’s changing priorities.

As part of Julius Baer’s NEXT initiative, Refik Anadol will embark upon a groundbreaking journey to create a series of multisensory artworks based on an enormous dataset of glacier images from around the world. The topic was chosen by the artist as a global symbol of an elixir of life and the fragility of the world. The artwork ‘Glacier Dreams’ will unfold in multiple chapters and locations. The first chapter was presented as an immersive room at the Julius Baer lounge during Art Dubai 2023 (see video above), the next chapters will be shown as projections on the ArtScience Museum in Singapore and Theatre Basel during Art Basel. The artwork consists of encompassing visuals, mesmerising audio and even an AI-generated scent. “Having created works at the intersection of art, science, and technology for more than a decade,” he says, “I’m excited that we are at a point when this crossroad is considered a new reality. It has always been my goal to use the latest technologies in ways that go beyond what they were originally intended for. I view machines as collaborators and push the boundaries of what is possible by utilising data in a poetic way.”