Hong Kong. BMW is pleased to unveil an installation
of work made in response to the epic journey undertaken by British
artist Abigail Reynolds (represented by Rokeby, London), winner of the
third BMW Art Journey in 2016. ‘The Ruins of Time: Lost Libraries of
the Silk Road’ will be showcased at the BMW Lounge of Art Basel in
Hong Kong 2017 and will comprise of a body of work completed by
Reynolds in response to her findings along the Silk Road.
‘The Ruins of Time: Lost Libraries of the Silk Road’ is a
five-month-long exploration into the complex religious and secular
narratives of Europe and Asia, for which the artist undertook
extensive multi-continental travel to parts of the Silk Road by
motorbike. The journey has enabled Reynolds to expand her current
interests and working methods by investigating the sites of former
libraries she discovered in her research, and documenting what she
found at each location.
Reynolds said of the project, “A library is a
compendium of knowledge, a group identity. I went to places where all
that meaning has been voided, recently or in the distant past. The
journey itself was challenging and huge, encompassing three quarters
of the globe, traversing multiple cultures, none familiar to me. The
journey brought me to the edges of my knowledge, just as the lost
libraries brought me to the edge of visuality.”
Reynolds’ artistic practice is closely linked to books and libraries.
Having studied English Literature at Oxford University, she frequently
draws inspiration from literature and literary figures to imagine
places and moments from the past, present and future. This deep
connection to libraries and literature led her to conceive of this
project involving a series of visits to historic and fabled
repositories of books. During the journey, Reynolds traced and
documented sixteen sites of libraries lost to political conflicts,
natural catastrophes and war. Exploring blanks and voids, she
positions the library as a symbol of the impossibility of encompassing
all knowledge.
Reynolds’ journey took her to sites dating from 291 BC to 2011
including China, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Egypt, Italy and Iran. Along the
way, Reynolds gathered material in various forms including 16mm film,
photography, microscope imagery, written text, plans and cataloguing
systems. Based on this extensive research, she has created a cluster
of objects, structures and moving-image works, the latter being her
first attempt to work in this medium. Images, texts and other
documents originating from the experience will be included in a book –
thus completing a journey that both starts and ends with the
institution of the library.
Reynolds is the third BMW Art Journey winner and will be the second
artist to unveil her work at Art Basel’s Hong Kong show, following
work by previous winner Samson Young, which debuted at the 2016
edition. The international jury selected her unanimously from a
shortlist of three artists whose works were exhibited in the
Discoveries sector at Art Basel in Hong Kong in 2016. The members of
the jury were Richard Armstrong, Director Solomon R. Guggenheim
Museum, New York; Claire Hsu, Director Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong;
Matthias Mühling, Director Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich;
Bose Krishnamachari, President Kochi-Muziris Biennale, India; and
Pauline J. Yao, Curator Visual Art M+, Hong Kong.
The BMW Art Journey is a global collaboration between Art Basel and
BMW, created to recognize and support emerging artists worldwide. This
unique award is open to artists who are exhibiting in the Discoveries
and Positions sectors in the Hong Kong and Miami Beach shows of Art
Basel, respectively. Two judging panels comprised of internationally
renowned experts meet first to select a shortlist of three artists
from the sector, who are then invited to submit proposals for a
journey aimed to further develop their ideas and artistic work. The
jury reconvenes to choose a winner from the three proposals.
Past winners of the BMW Art Journey include sound and performance
artist Samson Young (presented by a.m. Space, Hong Kong at Art Basel’s
Hong Kong show in 2015), who will also represent Hong Kong at the 2017
Venice Biennale, German video artists Henning Fehr and Philipp Rühr
(presented by Galerie Max Mayer, Dusseldorf at Art Basel’s Miami Beach
show in 2015) as well as Max Hooper Schneider (presented by High Art,
Paris at Art Basel’s Miami Beach show in 2016).
The next BMW Art Journey shortlist will be announced on March
22 at the BMW Lounge at the 2017 edition of Art Basel in Hong Kong.
BMW has supported Art Basel in Hong Kong from the
beginning and is again providing the VIP shuttle service. Furthermore,
the 9th BMW Art Car, created by Japanese artist Matazo Kayama in 1990,
will be on display at the BMW Lounge at the Hong Kong Convention and
Exhibition Centre. BMW is also global partner of the international Art
Basel shows in Basel and Miami Beach.
For further information about the artists and the project, please
visit: http://bmw-art-journey.com/journey/abigail-reynolds
For further questions please contact:
Dr Thomas
Girst
BMW Group Corporate and Intergovernmental Affairs
Head
of Cultural Engagement
Telephone: +49-89-382-24753
www.press.bmwgroup.com;
E-mail: presse@bmw.de
About Abigail Reynolds
Based in Cornwall, UK,
Abigail Reynolds read English Literature at Oxford University before
pursuing Fine Art at Goldsmiths University. Her interest in books
prompts her collages, sculptures, films and printmaking. The ideas
driving Reynolds’ work are based on images from reportage photography
books, her interest in networks of association and how our sense of
time is affected by technology. Represented by ROKEBY (London), she
has exhibited at art institutions and galleries in London, Vienna, Los
Angeles, Seattle, Berlin and Eindhoven.
About Art Basel
Founded in 1970 by gallerists
from Basel, Art Basel today stages the world’s premier art shows for
Modern and contemporary art, sited in Basel, Miami Beach, and Hong
Kong. Defined by its host city and region, each show is unique, which
is reflected in its participating galleries, artworks presented, and
the content of parallel programming produced in collaboration with
local institutions for each edition. Art Basel’s engagement has
expanded beyond art fairs through a number of new initiatives. In
2014, Art Basel launched its Crowdfunding Initiative, in collaboration
with Kickstarter. This initiative presents jury-selected art projects
to potential benefactors, which include Art Basel’s vibrant audience
and the Kickstarter community. The initiative has catalyzed
much-needed support for outstanding non-commercial art projects
worldwide and so far has helped pledge over $1.4 million to creative
projects around the world. For Art Basel Cities, launched in 2016, Art
Basel is working with selected partner cities to develop vibrant and
content-driven programs specific to the individual city. Connecting
them to the global art world through Art Basel’s expertise and
network, Art Basel Cities supports its partners to develop their
unique cultural landscape. For further information please visit artbasel.com.
About BMW Group’s Cultural Commitment
For almost
50 years now, the BMW Group has initiated and engaged in over 100
cultural cooperations worldwide. The company places the main focus of
its long-term commitment on Modern and contemporary art, classical
music and jazz as well as architecture and design. In 1972, three
large-scale paintings were created by the artist Gerhard Richter
specifically for the foyer of the BMW Group’s Munich headquarters.
Since then, artists such as Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Daniel Barenboim,
Jonas Kaufmann and architect Zaha Hadid have co-operated with BMW.
Currently, female artist Cao Fei from China and American John
Baldessari are creating the next two vehicles for the BMW Art Car
Collection. Besides co-initiatives, such as BMW Tate Live, the BMW Art
Journey and the “Opera for All” concerts in Berlin, Munich and London,
the company also partners with leading museums and art fairs as well
as orchestras and opera houses around the world. The BMW Group takes
absolute creative freedom in all its cultural activities – as this
initiative is as essential for producing groundbreaking artistic work
as it is for major innovations in a successful business.
Further information: www.bmwgroup.com/culture
and www.bmwgroup.com/culture/overview
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https://www.facebook.com/BMW-Group-Culture-925330854231870/
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#BMWGroupCulture
The BMW Group
With its three brands BMW, MINI
and Rolls-Royce, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium
manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium
financial and mobility services. As a global company, the BMW Group
operates 31 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has
a global sales network in more than 140 countries.
In 2016, the
BMW Group sold approximately 2.367 million cars and 145,000
motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year
2015 was approximately € 9.22 billion on revenues amounting to € 92.18
billion. As of 31 December 2015, the BMW Group had a workforce of
122,244 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been
based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has
therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout
the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear
commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.
www.bmwgroup.com
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