Julius Bär Gruppe AG

05/31/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/31/2023 00:31

Refik Anadol’s ‘Glacier Dreams’ debuts in Singapore as a new multi-sensory experience in Julius Baer’s NEXT initiative

Singapore / Hong Kong / Zurich, 31 May 2023 - Julius Baer, the leading Swiss wealth management group, proudly presents the debut exhibit of Refik Anadol's 'Glacier Dreams' in Singapore from 1 to 25 June 2023.

Inspiring joy and hope, 'Glacier Dreams' will be projected on the façade of ArtScience Museum during i Light Singapore 2023. The projection is co-presented by Julius Baer and Marina Bay Sands.

'Glacier Dreams' was introduced as part of Julius Baer's NEXT initiative that examines the intersection of arts, science and technology, and promotes the exploration of megatrends. For the initiative's inaugural project on 'digital disruption', Julius Baer commissioned Anadol, who is an internationally acclaimed media artist, director and pioneer in the aesthetics of data and machine intelligence.

Jimmy Lee, Member of the Executive Board, Julius Baer Group Ltd and Head Asia Pacific, said: "Julius Baer has a long history of supporting the arts, which we are pleased to extend to Asia. The bank's commission of Anadol's artwork, 'Glacier Dreams', exemplifies our dedication to artistic innovation. Through the Julius Baer NEXT initiative, we delve into megatrends and facilitate collaboration between visionary artists and institutions. Recognising the transformative power of technology and its fusion with the arts and sciences, Julius Baer is at the vanguard of cultivating cutting-edge art forms that echo society's evolving priorities."

Refik Anadol said: "It is very exciting to showcase Glacier Dreams in Singapore and to be part of Julius Baer's inaugural NEXT initiative. Glacier Dreams is our studio's long-term research and art project at the intersection of multi-sensory experiences, machine learning and environmental studies. We hope to illuminate the danger of glaciers disappearing across the globe but in a way that brings hope, inspiration and joy to humanity."

Julius Baer's NEXT initiative, launched in December 2022 with support from Serpentine, London, is a platform that nurtures connections between forward-thinking artists and institutions at the forefront of scientific research and technological development. Refik Anadol Studio was chosen for the first initiative, and embarked on a groundbreaking journey to create a series of multisensory artworks based on a vast dataset of glacier images from around the world, symbolising both the wonder of life and the fragility of our planet. The resulting audio-visual artwork created with a pioneering artificial intelligence model. The artwork also features an olfactory component that is available for Julius Baer guests at private events.

Additional information

Learn more about the Julius Baer NEXT initiativehere.

About Refik Anadol

Refik Anadol (b. 1985, Istanbul, Turkey) is an internationally renowned media artist, director, and pioneer in the aesthetics of data and machine intelligence. He is also a lecturer in UCLA's Department of Design Media Arts. His work locates creativity at the intersection of humans and machines. Taking the data that surrounds us as primary material, and the neural network of a computerized mind as a collaborator, Anadol offers us radical visualizations of our digitized memories and expands the possibilities of the arts, architecture, narrative, and the body in motion. Anadol's site-specific AI data sculptures, live audiovisual performances, and environmental installations take many forms, while encouraging us to rethink our engagement with the physical world, decentralized networks, collective experience, and the creative potential of machines. Anadol's work has been exhibited at venues including the Centre Pompidou-Metz, National Gallery of Victoria, Venice Architecture Biennale, Hammer Museum, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Ars Electronica Festival, Istanbul Design Biennial, and ZKM | Center for Art and New Media. In 2018, Anadol collaborated with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for WDCH Dreams, a live audio-visual performance projected on the façade of Frank Gehry's iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall in celebration of the orchestra's centennial. Refik Anadol: Unsupervised, the artist's first solo North American museum presentation, is currently on view at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.