refik anadol unveils DATALAND as world's first museum of AI arts in LA

first look at DATALAND, set to open at the Grand LA in 2025

Refik Anadol Studio presents DATALAND, the world’s first Museum of AI Arts, which is set to open in 2025 at The Grand LA, a Frank Gehry-designed development in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. The project features art experiences blending human imagination and artificial intelligence, establishing a new model for artistic expression at the onset of the digital age.

Los Angeles has long held Anadol’s fascination, beginning when he was eight years old with the discovery of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, set in a futuristic reimagining of the city. He first ventured there in 2012 to attend a graduate program in Design Media Arts at the University of California Los Angeles, where he has taught for the last ten years. In 2014, Erkiliç joined Anadol in Los Angeles to establish Refik Anadol Studio permanently in the city. Now celebrating its tenth anniversary, the Studio’s works have been exhibited worldwide in more than 70 cities on six continents, and are beloved by millions of ardent fans. The DATALAND museum brings this future-forward vision to a permanent home.

all images courtesy Refik Anadol Studio

a groundbreaking proposal by Refik Anadol studio

Establishing DATALAND at The Grand LA, in the heart of Los Angeles’ cultural corridor, is a full-circle moment for Refik Anadol, Efsun Erkılıç, and the studio. The business center is situated directly across the street from Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall, where, in 2018, the team presented one of their defining projects to date, the ambitious and groundbreaking WDCH Dreams, celebrating the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Centennial. Using 42 large scale projectors, the nightly live performances featured machine dreams of the LA Phil’s 100 years of digitized memories, mapped directly onto the undulating stainless-steel exterior of the iconic building. The museum will unfold steps from renowned cultural institutions: The Broad, MOCA, The Music Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, REDCAT, and The Colburn School in the cultural epicenter of Los Angeles.

DATALAND is set open in 2025

Developed by Related Companies, The Grand LA is home to the award-winning 305 room Conrad Los Angeles luxury hotel, more than 436 residences including affordable housing and will feature a collection of chef-driven restaurants, shops, and art-driven experiences anchored by DATALAND. As the world’s first Museum of AI Arts, its opening follows a series of presentations from Refik Anadol Studio, including Living Paintings at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, in Los Angeles; Machine Hallucinations at The Sphere, in Las Vegas; Living Architecture: Casa Batlló at Antoni Gaudí’s famed building, in Barcelona, Spain; Living Archive: Nature at the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland; Echoes of the Earth at London’s Serpentine Galleries; and Living Arena at the Intuit Dome, in Inglewood, CA.

DATALAND by Refik Anadol Studio is designed in collaboration with architecture firm Gensler and global sustainable development consultancy Arup. The inaugural exhibitions will be expressed through Refik Anadol Studio’s Large Nature Model, the world’s first open source AI model based solely on nature data. Additional information and details on DATALAND will be available in the coming months.

Refik Anadol and Efsun Erkılıç | image © Dustin Downing