ART CITIES: Bilbao-Refik Anadol
A pioneer in the aesthetics of machine intelligence, artist and technologist Refik Anadol is known for his innovative media works and large-scale public installations. Refik Anadol envelops viewers in immersive environments that utilise years-long experimentation with visual data of coral reefs and rainforests and showcases the creative potential of AI. He owns and operates Refik Anadol Studio and RAS LAB, the Studio’s research practice centered around discovering and developing trailblazing approaches to data narratives.
By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Guggenheim Museum Archive
Refic Anadol’s practice uses data as a primary material, employing neural networks to generate striking visualizations of digitized memories. By uniting architecture, AI, and art, he pushes the boundaries of interdisciplinary creativity, inviting audiences to reconsider their relationships with the physical world, public environments, and the emerging decentralized technologies. His AI-generated sculptures, live performances, and installations redefine conventional notions of authorship, perception, and materiality in contemporary art. Refik Anadol’s “Living Architecture: Gehry” is the inaugural exhibition of the “in situ” series at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, a new initiative dedicated to groundbreaking site-specific installations. This immersive audiovisual experience reinterprets Frank Gehry’s architectural legacy through artificial intelligence (AI) and generative art, pushing the boundaries of digital creativity. Developed by Refik Anadol Studio, the exhibition employs the Large Architecture Model (LAM), a sophisticated AI system trained over months on an extensive archive of open-access images, sketches, and blueprints of Gehry’s designs. By processing this vast dataset, the AI transforms Gehry’s architectural language into fluid, ever-evolving landscapes of color, form, and movement. Complementing this visual spectacle is an immersive soundscape by composer Kerim Karaoglu, seamlessly blending AI-generated audio with recordings captured within the museum, creating a fully sensory experience. “Living Architecture: Gehry” unfolds in six interconnected chapters, each illustrating a distinct phase in the metamorphosis of data into architectural vision: Chapter I — Data Universe: A vast collection of photographs, blueprints, and structural documents is compiled into a digital memory space. Chapter II — Data Plotting: As the AI processes the data, intricate patterns begin to emerge, shaping textures, forms, and spatial compositions. Chapter III — Data Tunnel: Data transitions into immersive visual environments, inviting audiences to engage with the dynamic interplay between human creativity and machine intelligence. Chapter IV — Large Architecture Model: The AI reimagines Gehry’s forms, generating novel architectural possibilities that transcend conventional design constraints. Chapter V — Machine Hallucination: A surreal abstraction where AI-generated structures dissolve traditional spatial limitations, creating dreamlike, fluid architectures. Chapter VI — Dreams: A limitless architectural vision materializes in real time, continuously evolving as AI breathes life into new forms. As the first exhibition in the series, “Living Architecture: Gehry” exemplifies Anadol’s pioneering approach to AI-driven, site-specific art. By transforming data into a dynamic artistic medium, the installation redefines space as an evolving canvas of memory, form, and imagination. Committed to ethical innovation, the project is built upon responsibly sourced data and powered by sustainable computing, ensuring that cutting-edge technology aligns with environmental and ethical considerations. The exhibition is offering visitors a rare opportunity to witness the fusion of art, architecture, and AI in a transformative, multisensory experience.
Photo: Refik Anadol Studio, Installation view of “Living Architecture: Gehry” at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, © Refik Anadol, Bilbao 2025
Info: Curator: Lekha Hileman Waitoller, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Abandoibarra et.2, Bilbao, Spain, Duration: 7/3-19/10/2025, Days & Hours: Tue-Sun 10:00-19:00, www.guggenheim-bilbao.eus/
