Refik Anadol and AI Art: Beyond Imagination

 

Unsupervised, Refik Anadol exhibit at MoMA

What would a machine dream about after seeing the entire collection of The Museum of Modern Art in one fascinating digital exhibition? For that matter what do humans dream after seeing Refik Anadol's exhibition, Unsupervised, which art reviewer Vincent Tully of the New York Times calls "the new avant garde?"  

For Unsupervised, Los Angeles artist Refik Anadol, born in 1985, uses artificial intelligence to interpret and transform more than 200 years of art at MoMA. Wow, really?

Known for his groundbreaking media works and public installations, Anadol has created digital artworks that unfold in real time, continuously generating new and otherworldly forms that envelop viewers in a large-scale installation. Tully put it this way: "It’s the museum’s collection digitized into roiling shapes..."

Photo  by Anadol

This artist and his art are new to me. I am fascinated by it. This is art for the 22nd century and beyond. I can hardly imagine it, hardly understand how this art is made. And controversy about the implications of AI development have me a little scared of it. 

I am quoting Anadol's description to try to get my arms around it. That might not be the right anology for something so monumental, but the scope of it, and the consequences, stun and amaze. Something tells me, deeply, that we need to try to understand it. Here's what the MoMA exhibit catalogue says: 

"Unsupervised is a meditation on technology, creativity, and modern art. Anadol trained a sophisticated machine-learning model to interpret the publicly available data of MoMA’s collection. As the model “walks” through its conception of this vast range of works, it reimagines the history of modern art and dreams about what might have been—and what might be to come. In turn, Anadol incorporates site-specific input from the environment of the Museum’s Gund Lobby—changes in light, movement, acoustics, and the weather outside—to affect the continuously shifting imagery and sounds." (Note 1)  

MoMA's collection swirling around in computer waves

"AI is often used to classify, process, and generate realistic representations of the world. In contrast, Unsupervised is visionary: it explores fantasy, hallucination, and irrationality," creating an alternate understanding of how art is made. The installation is based on works that are encoded on the blockchain, a distributed digital ledger, which stands as a public record of Anadol’s art."(Note 1) 

What does that mean, Anadol?

“I am trying to find ways to connect memories with the future,” the artist has said, “and to make the invisible visible.”  

It seems to have started in 2021, with Anadol's exhibit "Nature Dreams" at the Konig Galerie in Berlin. This Los Angeles artist is changing "the way we see," reviewers noted.  I can see that. 

This art actually transforms the "Zen of Seeing" into the Zen of Artificial intelligence.  Remember the 1973 art book, calling us to not only look, but "to see," to meditate, focus, be present and mindful. Anadol's unique approach is certainly changing the boundaries of art, "changing art-making itself," in Refik Anadol's words. (Note 1) 

Vincent Tullo in his review of the exhibit (note 3) raised a question that stirred in the back of my mind: Does "the impulse to make computers do something “artistic” speak to our anxiety around what makes us human — if software can create art, then what’s left for us?"   

Refik Anadol, Quantum Memories, 10M x 10M x 2.5M AI Data Sculpture Custom software, quantum computing data, generative algorithm with artificial intelligence (AI), real time digital animation on LED screen, 4 channel sound, Courtesy RAS via ARTnet

Note 1: Refik Anadol: Unsupervised | MoMA

This exhibit was Organized by Michelle Kuo, the Marlene Hess Curator of Painting and Sculpture, and Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of Architecture and Design and Director of Research and Development, with Lydia Mullin, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Painting and Sculpture.  Refik Anadol: Unsupervised | MoMA

Note 2: MOMA’s Newest NFT Exhibit Proves You Can’t Even Give NFTs Away For Free (forbes.com)

Note 3: MoMA’s Daydream of Progress - The New York Times (nytimes.com), calls Unsupervised  "The next avant-garde."  Vincent Tullo for The New York Times