THE SCREEN. Three Positions on AI and Art

Press Release

Six weeks of AI and art in large format:
ZKM | Karlsruhe launches “THE SCREEN”

With “THE SCREEN,” the ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe is launching a new presentation format in Atrium 8: Over a period of six weeks, three artistic positions that work with artificial intelligence in three different ways will be presented on a large-format LED wall. Visitors can immerse themselves in visual data streams, experience poetry written with AI, or watch autonomous AI agents create a work of art in real time. “THE SCREEN” is not only a presentation space for media art, but also a place where we can spend time with new forms of art and with others.

6 weeks – 3 artworks – 1 screen 

For six weeks, the Lichthof 8 at the ZKM | Karlsruhe will become a place where people can experience art and spend time together. At the center is an 8.5 × 6-meter LED wall spanning two floors, on which three artistic positions dealing with artificial intelligence from different perspectives will be shown every two weeks.

Seating and a bar transform the space into an open place to linger, observe, and exchange thoughts on the latest forms of art. THE SCREEN invites visitors to spend time, immersing themselves in AI created atmospheres. On Fridays and Saturdays, the installation will therefore remain open until 10 pm.

Refik Anadol: In the Vortex of Invisible Data

March 13–March 27, 2026

The series kicks off with Turkish-American media artist Refik Anadol, one of the best-known representatives of data-based media art. His large-format, immersive screen installations have introduced a wide audience to the use of artificial intelligence in the creation of art. His “data sculptures” make the complexity of data processes that shape our present visually and spatially tangible. The work is on loan from the Art Collection Telekom.

Sasha Stiles: The Kinship of Poetry and AI 

March 28 – April 10, 2026

Next up is Kalmyk-American poet and AI researcher Sasha Stiles, who incorporates artificial intelligence as a co-author in her writing process and whose work was most recently exhibited at MoMA in New York. In her practice, she explores how language, authorship, and creativity are changing in the age of artificial intelligence. She does not see poetry and artificial intelligence as opposites, but as closely connected. She understands AI as a possible heir to poetry, which she sees as one of the oldest technologies for storing and transmitting knowledge. Together with her AI alter ego “Technelegy,” she has been questioning what it means to be human in the age of artificial intelligence since 2018. 

Agent Provocateur

April 11–April 26, 2026

The finale is Agent Provocateur, a work developed especially for THE SCREEN by ZKM artists and developers. The focus is on so-called AI agents, autonomous programs that can perform tasks on behalf of users. In the installation, several of these agents generate images and sounds in real time on the large-format LED wall, exploring what artificial intelligence can achieve today and where its limits lie. Unlike many AI applications, the creative process remains visible here. Additional screens show the agents' considerations and suggestions in real time, while the work continues to evolve throughout its run and reacts to the presence of visitors. This raises the question: Is a new form of artistic autonomy emerging here, or are we ultimately seeing an extremely powerful tool?

Opening hours

Wednesday and Thursday: 10 am–6 pm

Friday: 10 am–6 pm, 6:30–10 pm

Saturday: 11 am–6 pm, 6:30–10 pm

Sunday: 11 am–6 pm

Admission

Museum admission, from 6:30 pm: 5 euros

Admission is free from 5 pm on the opening day, March 13.