Refik Anadol, a pioneering force in the field of media art, operates at the intersection of art, science, and technology, creating immersive, data-driven experiences that challenge traditional conceptions of time, space, and perception. Born in Istanbul in 1985 and currently based in Los Angeles, Anadol has built a career that examines the evolving relationship between humanity and machine intelligence. As the director of Refik Anadol Studio and the research lab RAS LAB, he explores groundbreaking approaches to data narratives, engaging with the very fabric of the digital age.

The Post-Digital Architect

Anadol’s work is fundamentally concerned with the impact of ubiquitous computing on human experience. His exploration of time and space within the context of an AI-driven world is both timely and prescient, reflecting the seismic shifts in how we live and perceive reality. What makes Anadol’s approach distinct is his ability to blur the boundaries between physical and virtual space, often dissolving the rigid architecture of the built environment into a fluid, data-infused landscape.

Through his exploration of “post-digital architecture,” Anadol invites us to reconsider the very structures that define our world. His works challenge us to imagine alternatives to traditional architectural forms by translating the logic of new media technologies into both art and design. Rather than simply integrating digital media into architectural spaces, Anadol reinvents these spaces altogether, turning walls, ceilings, and floors into malleable surfaces for data and light.

Transforming Data into Art

Central to Anadol’s oeuvre is the transformative potential of data. By repurposing vast quantities of information—whether from weather patterns, MRI scans, or archival photographs—he unveils alternate realities that were previously invisible to the human eye. His work serves as a meditation on the unseen forces that shape our world, drawing attention to the beauty and complexity that lie hidden in the raw material of data.

In his iconic Unsupervised installation at MoMA, Anadol revolutionized the idea of a museum collection. Instead of presenting the static works of art housed in the museum, he transformed the metadata of the collection into an evolving artwork that continuously generated new forms in real-time. This continuous process of creation and recreation not only challenged traditional notions of authorship but also posed an alternate vision of what art could be in the digital age: dynamic, fluid, and ever-changing.

Similarly, Quantum Memories at the National Gallery of Victoria used 200 million photos of Earth to reimagine our planet’s landscapes, oceans, and atmosphere, offering a mesmerizing alternate reality of nature through the lens of AI. His Machine Hallucination series, including the famous Machine Hallucination: NYC and Machine Memoirs: Space, takes vast public datasets—from images of New York City to NASA’s archival photographs—and uses them to visualize an entirely new and speculative reality.

Immersive Art Beyond the Gallery

Anadol’s practice refuses the confines of traditional art galleries, opting instead for large-scale, site-specific installations that extend beyond the white cube. His works often transform entire buildings into living, breathing entities. In WDCH Dreams, for instance, he projected visuals inspired by 100 years of digital archives from the Los Angeles Philharmonic onto Frank Gehry’s iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall. The building itself became a canvas, its undulating curves animated by a century’s worth of musical history.

Likewise, in Sense of Space at the Venice Biennale, Anadol translated 70 terabytes of multimodal MRI data into an immersive, brain-inspired installation. The data—the neurological scans of individuals spanning the lifespan—became the raw material for a dynamic visualization of human cognition, an artwork that invited visitors to traverse the inner workings of the mind. These immersive installations collapse the boundaries between the digital and the physical, offering a new way of experiencing and interacting with art that goes far beyond passive observation.

Refik Anadol’s Gaudí Dreams

Refik Anadol’s Gaudí Dreams offers an enthralling exploration of Antoni Gaudí’s creative universe, an ambitious digital work unveiled as part of a broader artistic endeavor at Casa Batlló. Following his earlier digital pieces, such as NFT Living Architecture (2021) and In the Mind of Gaudí (2023), Anadol’s latest creation takes visitors on a captivating journey through the visionary world of Gaudí’s mind. As the artist states, “Gaudí’s works are interrelated. There is a story between them. Gaudí thought of them non-linearly, connecting them, and Gaudí Dreams is a tribute to this legacy.” This installation, available within the immersive Gaudí Cube, is a testament to Anadol’s ability to merge cutting-edge technology with architectural genius.

The Gaudí Cube—a revolutionary, six-faced LED structure—serves as the dream canvas for Gaudí Dreams, creating a truly unique experience for audiences. This immersive 360-degree space is unlike anything else in the world, positioning Casa Batlló as a pioneering venue for digital art. As Anadol himself notes, “In the first installation, we wanted to tell a story about Gaudí’s mind. Then we realized that the more we researched his mind, the more new worlds opened up.”

Anadol’s work is grounded in an enormous dataset, consisting of over a billion images processed by sophisticated AI algorithms. This monumental collection includes not only digital scans of Casa Batlló and architectural archives but also academic articles, video content, and natural references. Such data-driven projects have been a hallmark of Anadol’s work, and as he reflects, “AI is taking over the world… It is inspiring to see that we are at the forefront of new ideas.”

The use of AI in Gaudí Dreams marks a critical moment in both the evolution of digital art and the widespread acceptance of AI technologies in creative practice. As Anadol shares, “From last year until now, AI is taking over the world. But we started working on this project three years ago. And now the world understands the power of AI.” This piece, more than a tribute, is an innovation that deepens the connection between past and future, breathing new life into Gaudí’s iconic designs.

Anadol’s earlier work, viewed by over 2 million people worldwide, was received with overwhelming enthusiasm, with many visitors expressing that “Gaudí would love to see the work.” This affirmation of respect from the public resonates deeply with Anadol, who emphasizes that his approach is not one of appropriation, but of co-creation. “We are not going over him. We are co-creating with Gaudí. With his spirit, his ideas, and his genius,” Anadol shares, demonstrating a profound alignment with the architect’s legacy.

In addition to Gaudí Dreams, Casa Batlló is concurrently hosting an exhibition featuring digital works by both Refik Anadol and Sofía Crespo, underscoring the monument’s commitment to fostering new forms of expression. This exhibition is part of The Heritage of Tomorrow program, which invites renowned digital artists to intervene in the historic space, reimagining both its facade and interior. Anadol reflects, “It is a unique form of expression for artists like me, inspired by computers, algorithms, data. Finally, we have a platform to share our ideas with millions of people.”

The Gaudí Dreams installation serves as a bridge between Gaudí’s architectural brilliance and the technological frontier of the 21st century, revealing a new dimension of art through digital mediums. It invites audiences to not only witness the synthesis of history and innovation but to experience an ever-evolving exploration of the creative mind. Anadol’s work stands as both a tribute and a bold reimagining—an immersive dreamscape that transcends time, space, and imagination.

Refik Anadol: Redefining the Role of the Artist

Anadol’s work raises profound questions about authorship and the role of the artist in the age of AI. If the artist’s primary task is to guide the creative process, can data—produced by algorithms, machines, and networks—be considered a collaborator in this process? Anadol’s approach makes it clear that AI is not a replacement for human creativity but a tool for expanding the artist’s lexicon. The artist, in this case, provides the vision, guiding the machine to translate raw data into a work that resonates on a deeply emotional level.

In a sense, Anadol’s work offers a new model for the artist in the digital age, one where creativity is enhanced and expanded by machine intelligence rather than diminished by it. His works offer an invitation to explore new modes of seeing and understanding the world—experiences that are both deeply personal and universally accessible.

Refik Anadol’s body of work signals a profound shift in the way we conceive of art. His groundbreaking use of data and machine intelligence, combined with immersive and interactive installations, challenges our understanding of time, space, and human perception. By transforming raw data into evocative, living art, Anadol asks us to reimagine the world around us—and the very nature of what art can be. In a future where technology continues to shape every aspect of our lives, Anadol’s work stands as a testament to the boundless possibilities of digital creativit