Mac Baconai
When prompt engineering is a state of Art.
Dataland, scheduled to open in Los Angeles in 2025, will provide a permanent home for Refik's AI works. This reaffirms Anadol’s considerable cachet and the appeal of his algorithmic art.
The museum will be located inside the Grand L.A., a mixed-use development designed by Frank Gehry. This development includes a luxury hotel, apartments, and entertainment facilities. Dataland is part of the growing cultural corridor in Downtown Los Angeles, which includes the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Broad, the Music Center venues, and the Walt Disney Hall performing arts center. In 2018, Anadol used dozens of 50K projectors to cast shapeshifting videos onto the surface of the Walt Disney Hall.
For DATALAND, Refik Anadol Studio is building a groundbreaking initiative — the Large Nature Model, the world’s first open source, generative AI model dedicated to nature, trained on the most extensive, ethically collected dataset of the natural world.
Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst’s "xhairymutantx," featured in the 2024 Whitney Biennial, is a bold exploration of identity within the sphere of artificial intelligence. This project exists both in the physical space of the Whitney Museum and online, where it challenges how AI models perceive and represent individuals, particularly through the lens of Herndon’s digital persona.
Herndon, a prominent figure in digital art and music, has become a recognizable presence in AI-generated content. When her name is entered into text-to-image programs, the output often reflects her signature look—white skin, red hair, and bright blue eyes. "xhairymutantx" takes this familiar image and distorts it, using AI models trained on manipulated photos of Herndon in exaggerated costumes.
The result? Strange, mutant versions of Herndon push the boundaries of her identity within AI.
This project isn’t just about creating unusual images—it’s about questioning how AI models, which often strive for "objective truth," can reduce complex identities to superficial traits. By amplifying Herndon’s distinctive features, the artists explore the idea of reclaiming some control over how AI represents individuals. They suggest that by exaggerating clichés, we might influence AI to redefine its understanding of identity.
"xhairymutantx" is both a playful and thought-provoking critique of AI’s role in shaping our digital selves. It challenges us to think about who controls our online identities and how we can assert agency in a world increasingly dominated by algorithms.
Immerse yourself in 'Fields of Morning,' a captivating collection of five digital masterpieces by Laurence Fuller, created in collaboration with the talented Kesja Tabaczuk. This unique series, adapted from the acclaimed exhibition at Arcadia Contemporary (July 11 - July 31, 2024), seamlessly blends Tabaczuk's meticulous paintings with Fuller's evocative poetry. Fuller's journey into Tabaczuk's art began on social media, where he was drawn to the intricate balance between precision and whimsy in her work. Her striking images of roaming wild animals and incomplete birds boldly defy the ordinary, inviting viewers to explore a realm where the fantastical meets the familiar.
Fields of Morning captures the first steps taken into the fields each morning with the rising sun, symbolising a journey back to self-discovery. The Lyca character is inspired by a series of poems by William Blake. The collection explores our connection to the world around us, portraying us as creators and poets of each moment. It delves into the presence and beauty of being alive.
These masterful portraits provide an open space for poetic storytelling. In today's world, figurative painting has become rare and special, contrasting the reduction of all art to the instant. Certain moments in life linger in our memories with greater potency and contemplation. When sentiment is all that remains, imagination gains even greater significance than life itself. The world around us becomes an extension of our inner lives, and beauty reflects back to us, creating a paradise in this life. Fields of Morning evokes early memories of Mother Nature, highlighting our true potential.
In the heart of San Diego, where the innovation pulse beats strong, and the artistic spirit thrives, Kaeli VanFossen is redefining the boundaries between technology and art. With a vibrant personality that mirrors her work, Kaeli waves hello to a world where acrylics blend with pixels and traditional canvases coexist with digital screens.
Whether you are an interior designer on the hunt for that perfect piece that will transform a space, or an NFT art collector looking to diversify your digital portfolio, Kaeli's art offers something for everyone. Her diverse range of works, from the tactile richness of acrylics to the innovative edge of digital and AI art, ensures that every viewer can find a piece that resonates.
"Return to Eden" by artist Chelsea Jones invites viewers on a visual journey into a world where peace emerges amidst chaos. It reflects the artist's quest for sanctuary, using vivid colours and expressive brushwork.
The collection we love captures fleeting moments when the world fades away, leaving behind a self-fashioned sanctuary – a transient space where reality feels chilled and tranquillity fills the air. It intimately portrays the search for and cherishing of serene escapes within a turbulent existence. The collection’s warmth and inviting tone encourage each observer to uncover their transient paradise within.
Glacier Dreams is a breathtaking new art commission by the talented Refik Anadol that sets out to capture the exquisite beauty and fragility of the world's glaciers.
The artwork results from an extensive research project at the intersection of multisensory new media art, machine learning, and environmental studies. Refik Anadol has processed a vast dataset of visual materials from online and institutional archives, supplemented with glacier visuals he collected in Iceland, through machine learning algorithms to create an audio-visual masterpiece. The artwork also features a pioneering artificial intelligence model that adds an olfactory component to the multisensory experience. This groundbreaking work of art is a powerful reminder of our planet's vulnerability and the urgent need to protect it.
We tried hard, but then we cracked :D
Reddit user mossymayn imagined how Wonders of the World might look like following their popular misspellings. For this task, he asked AI to help him, and the results are beyond ridiculous and funny :)
The main point we share is not only because it is funny but how AI tools democratise the onboarding to arts