BIOGRAPHY
Photo by Marilyn Clark
Established in 2005, Random International is a postdigital art group exploring the impact of technological development on the human condition. Best known for their large-scale interactive installations, the group works across an array of media including sculpture, light, kinetics, video, print, and sound. Led by founders Hannes Koch (b.1975, Germany) and Florian Ortkrass (b.1975, Germany), the group has a studio in London and comprises a global team of complementary talent.
Experimental by nature, Random International’s practice is fuelled by research and scientific discovery. The group channels irrepressible collective energy—mediated via the machine—into acts of public co-creation, which invite subjective experiences of consciousness. Random International aims to broaden the question of what it is to be alive today by experimenting with how we connect: to different kinds of life, to different views of the world, and to one another.
Read more about the wider studio team here.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2024
Human Algorithm Matters Through Matter, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, February - March 2024
2023
Life in a Different Resolution (solo) Nxt Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, September 2023 - September 2024
When Tomorrow Comes Noor Riyadh Festival, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 2023 - March 2024
Turnstiles and Everything And Nothing Industrial Art Exhibition, Dammam, Saudi Arabia, December 2023
Living Room / Variation I commissioned by Aorist with the generous support of Faena Art, shown at Noor Riyadh Festival, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November - December 2023
Future Self (with Studio Wayne McGregor and Max Richter) Ladbroke Hall, London, October 2023
Life In A Day MIT Museum, Massachusetts, USA, October 2022 - September 2023
2022
Living Room / Variation I commissioned by Aorist with the generous support of Faena Art, exhibited during Miami Art Week, USA, December 2022
2021
Biomedia, (Group Exhibition) ZKM | Center for Art and Media, Germany, from December 2021 - August 2022
LUX (Group Exhibition) 180 The Strand, London, from October 2021 - February 2022
‘No One is an Island’ a collaboration with Studio Wayne McGregor, (commissioned by BMWi and presented with Superblue), London, October 2021
Future / Self (with Studio Wayne McGregor) Ca’ Giustinian, Venice. On view for the duration of La Biennale Di Venezia Danza 2021
Body / Light I (temporary), Manhattan West, New York, May 2021
MirNs (group exhibition), New Media Gallery, 13 March 2021 — 1 August 2021
2019
Kinds of Life (permanent work), Commissioned for the Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, 2019
Physical Algorithm (solo), Paradise City Art Space, from October 2019
Out of Control (solo), MoCA Busan, South Korea, from August 2019
Rain Room at Jackalope Art Pavilion, Melbourne, Australia, from August 2019
Dysfunctional (group exhibition), Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca’d’Oro, from April 2019
2018
Self and Other (for the Albert Embankment) (permanent work) Albert Embankment, London, from July 2018
Rain Room (permanent work), Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE, from May 2018
Everything & Nothing Yuz Museum, Shanghai, 20 April — 2 September 2018
Rain Room, Yuz Museum, Shanghai, from April 2018
2017
Zoological (part of ‘+/- Human’ by Wayne McGregor), Roundhouse London, August 2017
Home is not a Place (Group Exhibition), German Embassy London, June 2017
Glasstress (Group Exhibition), Palazzo Franchetti, Venice, On view for the duration of La Biennale Di Venezia, 2017
2016
On The Body Pace Gallery, 537 West 24th Street New York, 23 September — 22 October 2016
Everything & Nothing Manchester Museum of Science & Industry, 22 July 2016 — 25 June 2017
Swarm Study / IX Chemnitz Station, Germany, from September 2016
Swarm Study / IX Research Exhibition, Former Jewish Girls School Berlin, 4 June — 17 Sep 2016
150 Milliseconds Le Laboratoire Cambridge Massachusetts, 22 April — 1 July 2016
2015
Rain Room Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LA, 1 November 2015 — 6 March 2016
Aspect (White) Lichtsicht Biennale, 18 September 2015 — 7 February 2016
Rain Room Yuz Museum, Shanghai, 1 September — 31 December 2015
FOMO La Friche Belle de Mai, Marseille, 14 May — 2 August 2015
2014
Studies In Motion Lundskonsthall Lund, 27 September — 16 November 2014
2013
Tower: Instant Structure for Schacht XII Ruhrtriennale, 23 August — 6 October 2013
EXPO 1: New York / Rain Room MoMA, New York, 12 May — 28 July 13
2012
Rain Room Barbican, London, 4 October 2012 — 3 March 2013
Before The Rain Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Paris, 8 September — 21 December 2012
2011
Rewriting Worlds 4th Moscow Biennale for Contemporary Art, 2011
Swarm Study / III Victoria & Albert Museum London, since June 2011
Reflex The Wellcome Commission, Wellcome Trust, London, 2011 / 2012
Waste Not Want It Bloomberg Space, London, January 2011
2010
The Behaviour Of Objects Carpenters Workshop Gallery, October 2010
Design Vertigo Spazio Fendi Milan, 2010
2009
DECODE Victoria & Albert Museum, London, December 2009
Random International Pinakothek Der Moderne, Munich, November 2009
2008
Nowhere NOW HERE Laboral Centro De Arte, Gijon, October 2008
Ignite Royal Opera House, London, September 2008
Design and the Elastic Mind MoMA, New York, February 2008
2007
Spazio Krizia (with Ingo Maurer) Milan, April 2007
2005
JUNG+DEUTSCH Berlin / Tokyo, 2005
COLLECTIONS
Museum of Modern Art New York, US
Victoria & Albert Museum London, UK
Sharjah Art Foundation Sharjah, UAE
Maxine & Stuart Frankel Foundation for Art Detroit, US
YUZ Foundation Shanghai, CN
Los Angeles County Museum of Art LA, US
PUBLICATIONS
150 Milliseconds H. Reynolds ed. Exhibition catalogue, Random International Berlin, June 2016
Random International: Studies In Motion by C. Faust; A. Nacking; H. Reynolds; D. Vogues; J. Wainwright. Exhibition catalogue. Lunds konsthall, September 2014
‘The Retooling Issue’ by Peter Weibel, Parabol no.8, September 2014
‘Limits of Control: Rain Room and Immersive Environments’ by Felicity Scott, Artforum Volume 52, no.1, September 2013
Random International H.Reynolds ed. Limited edition artists’ book, reprinted in paperback. Carpenters Workshop Gallery / Random International, March 2013
Rewriting Worlds: 4th Moscow Biennale for Contemporary Art N.Molok ed. Exhibition catalogue. Institute of Contemporary Art Moscow, September 2011
TALKS & ACADEMIC
The Art and Architecture of Care, London Festival of Architecture (vritual), London, June 2021
Liquid Experiences - Immersive experiences in art, nature and cities, Therme Group Forum Live at St. Agnes, Berlin, September 2020
Hannes Koch: In Conversation with Fenella Kernebone, Rain Room at Jackalope Art Pavilion, Melbourne, Australia, February 2020
X-Site International Forum At Taipei Fine Arts Museum, November 2019
Nesta : 21st Century Common Sense Talk, Nesta, London, October 2019
Art And Architecture Panel Discussion : Gosh Together Festival, GOSH Zayed Centre, September 2019
Royal Academy: Digital Environments In Contemporary Art
Hannes Koch and Florian Ortkrass join Charmian Griffin, Head of Digital at Artangel, to discuss the limitations and opportunities of both immersive and digital art. Royal Academy of Arts, London, February 2019
Phillips Collection: NATURE + ART + CLIMATE + CHANGE
RANDOM INTERNATIONAL in conversation with Dr. Hester Baer. Other participants include the artist Meg Webster and Henry Elkus. Washington, USA, November 2018
And& Leuven Identity, Innovation & Creativity: Urban Futures
Florian Ortkrass in conversation with Emily Segal, Kenric McDowell, Samir Bantal, and Marco Bevolo. Leuven, Belgium, May 2018
Everything and Nothing²: artist talk during ‘Home Is Not A Place’ Random International in conversation with Johannes Vogel, Director of the Museum of Natural History Berlin, German Embassy London, September 2017
Intelligence²: Daniel Dennett, The Evolution of the Mind, Consciousness and AI Daniel Dennett, Random International, Nick Shea, Tara Swart, Blaise Agüera y Arcas. Discussion chaired by Daniel Glaser at The Emmanuel Centre, London, 20 February 2017
On The Body: You And Your Visual System Artist talk with Prof Niko Troje (BioMotionLab), Pace Gallery New York, 23 September 2016
On The Body: Art In Public Panel Discussion with Janet Echelman and Michal Rovner, Pace Gallery New York, 24 September 2016
The Directors Series: Random International on Autonomy Random International in conversation with Michael Govan, LACMA, 9 March 2016
National Academies Keck Futures Initiative Speaker (art + science), November 2015
Harvard School Of Applied Sciences Artist residency, February 2014 - ongoing
Penny Stamps Lecture: What It Isn’t Michigan, 23 October 2014
OFFF Conference Mexico City, 30 August 2014
Mitchell Lecture School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 13 September 2013
Live Art and Working The Room, Venice Agenda, Venice Biennale Conversation event with Hans Ulrich Obrist, 28-29 May 2013
Rain Room in Conversation: Obrist, McGregor & Random Barbican Centre, London, 8 February 2013
TEDx Conference: Our Future Selves Berlin, 31 August 2012
Strelka Institute, Keynote Moscow, 18 July 2011
Cranbrook School of Art & Design / Guest lecture Troy (Michigan), 2011