Refik Anadol Opens World's First AI Art Museum in LA
Part museum, part laboratory, Dataland explores AI, nature and human perception through immersive installations.
Summary
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Refik Anadol opens Dataland, a new museum dedicated to AI art in Los Angeles
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‘Machine Dreams: Rainforest’ transforms rainforest data into immersive sensory installations
Refik Anadol is opening the doors to Dataland, a new cultural institution in downtown Los Angeles dedicated to exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence, data and contemporary art.
Opening June 20 inside the Frank Gehry-designed Grand LA complex, the permanent museum is being positioned as the world’s first museum dedicated to AI arts. Located across from the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Dataland marks a major milestone for the Turkish-American media artist, whose large-scale data-driven installations have appeared at institutions and public landmarks around the world.
The museum’s inaugural exhibition, Machine Dreams: Rainforest, transforms environmental data gathered from rainforests across the globe into an immersive, multi-sensory experience spanning five galleries. At the center of the project is Anadol Studio’s “Large Nature Model,” an open-source AI system trained exclusively on nature-based datasets sourced from organizations including the Smithsonian, the Getty Conservation Institute and London’s Natural History Museum, as well as field research conducted across 16 rainforests worldwide.
Visitors move through a series of immersive environments featuring large-scale projections, responsive soundscapes, scent technology and biometric interaction. Highlights include the Data Pavilion, where live environmental data is transformed into constantly evolving visualizations, and the “Infinity Room,” a fully enclosed LED installation inspired by the Amazon rainforest.
Guests are also provided wearable devices that track movement and biometric responses, allowing the museum’s systems to adapt throughout the experience. According to Dataland, all collected data remains anonymous and is deleted after 30 days. Amid ongoing conversations surrounding AI’s role in creative industries, Dataland offers a different perspective on the technology, focusing on environmental awareness, sensory engagement and human participation rather than automation alone.
Machine Dreams: Rainforest opens June 20 and remains on view through January 31, 2027.
Dataland
100 S Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90012
