Hito Steyerl's 'The Island' at Fondazione Prada critiques AI culture through video, archaeology, and physics

Hito Steyerl's exhibition 'The Island' at Fondazione Prada's Osservatorio in Milan runs through 30 October 2026. The Berlin-based artist presents video works and sculptures that confront generative AI's cultural impact, continuing her critical engagement with technology following her 2025 book 'Medium Hot'. Central to the show is a video featuring a Flash Gordon avatar, portrayed by German actor Mark Waschke, who appears in the Croatian island town of Korčula. This narrative weaves together themes of archaeology, quantum physics, and science fiction through interviews with Croatian-born historian Darko Suvin and quantum physicist Tommaso Calarco, interspersed with performances by Croatian a cappella group Klapa Ivo Lozica. The installation includes large glowing projection spheres displaying CGI renderings of Korčula and an underwater archaeological site, alongside tall metal and driftwood armatures with translucent hemispherical cupolas. A circle of video screens presents extended interviews with the film's interlocutors. Steyerl employs AI-generated video techniques to critique what she terms 'AI slop', exploring the tension between digital irreality and material reality. The exhibition concludes with a choral performance by Klapa Ivo Lozica on Korčula's quayside, emphasizing human presence and traditional folk music. This marks a shift in Steyerl's work toward affirming aesthetic experience and human agency against algorithmic culture.