In a groundbreaking announcement, renowned media artist Refik Anadol is set to open Dataland, the world’s first AI-driven art museum, in downtown Los Angeles. Anadol, a pioneer in the field of AI-generated art, is no stranger to the city’s cultural landscape. His career-defining projection of algorithmic video onto Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2018 catapulted him to international fame, and now he’s returning to the same cultural hub with a new, revolutionary project.
Situated in the Gehry-designed Grand L.A. complex, Dataland is designed to redefine art, technology, and how we experience both. This 20,000-square-foot “living museum” will not only display AI-created art but also house the Large Nature Model, a cutting-edge AI system trained on millions of images and data points from institutions like the Smithsonian, London’s Natural History Museum, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The result? Stunning, generative pieces based on a half-billion images of the natural world.
“We are blending Gehry’s architectural brilliance with AI infrastructure to create an art form the world has never seen,” says Anadol. He calls this emerging form of art generative reality — a fitting label for the surreal, ever-evolving digital landscapes visitors will encounter.
Anadol’s commitment to ethical AI is at the core of the museum’s mission. From securing data permissions to using only renewable energy for AI training, Dataland champions sustainability and ethical practices. The museum will also feature a nonprofit branch, the RAS AI Foundation, dedicated to advancing research in AI ethics.
As a fully immersive experience, Dataland will incorporate not only visual and auditory stimuli but also scent, thanks to an AI model trained on 500,000 different smells. In one gallery, visitors will be able to see — and smell — AI-generated flowers from the rainforest, creating a multi-sensory journey into nature’s digital reimagining.
For Anadol, this project marks the culmination of years of research and creative exploration. “AI is not just a tool, it’s a co-creator and co-being,” he says. His vision for Dataland is not just about art but about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in technology and human experience.
Set to become a new anchor in L.A.’s arts district, Dataland promises to transform the Grand Avenue corridor into the heart of L.A.’s cultural future.
With this innovative project, Refik Anadol once again proves why he’s a leading figure in the intersection of art and technology. As we await Dataland’s grand opening, one thing is clear: the future of art is already here, and it’s powered by AI.
