Jon Rafman’s ‘Main Stream Media’ at K21: AI Art Meets Internet Nostalgia
Jon Rafman’s first German museum retrospective, ‘Main Stream Media,’ opened at K21 in Düsseldorf, presenting a sprawling installation of AI-generated videos, digital tapestries, and CRT monitors. The exhibition, co-organized with Berlin’s KW Institute for Contemporary Art, also features Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst’s interactive sound sculpture ‘Starmirror’ on the upper floor. Rafman’s work, known for mining early internet culture and glitch aesthetics, now incorporates AI across all production stages. His new piece ‘Main Stream Media Network’ is a continuous MTV-style stream of AI-generated music videos and shorts. The show draws parallels between 19th-century literary outsiders like Dostoevsky’s underground man and modern internet trolls. Rafman’s 2019 Venice Biennale video ‘Dream Journal’ is also on view. The exhibition runs at K21 until a yet-unannounced date.
Key facts
- Jon Rafman’s first German museum retrospective ‘Main Stream Media’ is at K21 Düsseldorf.
- The exhibition is co-organized with KW Institute for Contemporary Art Berlin.
- Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst present ‘Starmirror,’ a sound sculpture using Gregorian chants.
- Rafman uses AI to generate visual materials, speed up production, and create a ‘uncanny familiarity.’
- His new work ‘Main Stream Media Network’ is a continuous AI-generated MTV-style channel.
- Rafman’s 2019 Venice Biennale video ‘Dream Journal’ is included.
- The show references 19th-century literature, especially Dostoevsky’s ‘Notes from Underground.’
- K21 was previously nicknamed ‘KI-21’ after hosting Refik Anadol’s AI animations in 2023.
Entities
Artists
- Jon Rafman
- Holly Herndon
- Mat Dryhurst
- Refik Anadol
- Florentina Holzinger
- Ana Mendieta
- Hans Richter
- Andy Warhol
- Chris Marker
- Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Hildegard von Bingen
Institutions
- K21
- KW Institute for Contemporary Art
- Kunstpalast Düsseldorf
- Tate Modern
- Venice Biennale
- Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts
Locations
- Düsseldorf
- Germany
- Berlin
- Los Angeles
- Canada
- Venice
- Italy