BMW is official partner of Art Basel in Hong Kong 2018. BMW Art Journey and BMW Art Car #18 by Cao Fei on display at the BMW Lounge.

Hong Kong. From March 29 to 31, the Art Basel show in
Hong Kong will open its doors offering again extensive insights into
the work of over 4,000 artists, presented by 248 of the world’s
leading galleries. As an official partner of the show, BMW will not
only provide the VIP shuttle service, but also present the BMW Art Car
#18 created by female Chinese artist Cao Fei in the BMW Lounge at the
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.  Furthermore, last year’s
BMW Art Journey winner, India based artist Astha Butail, will give
first insights into her upcoming project and the new BMW Art Journey
shortlist will be announced.

BMW Art Car #18 by Cao Fei
After its race
premiere in Macau, the 18th BMW Art Car by contemporary
multimedia artist Cao Fei will be displayed at the BMW Lounge. As a
reflection on the speed of change in China, on tradition and future,
Cao Fei approached the BMW Art Car in a way typical for her artistic
practice, building a parallel universe. The body of work consists of
three different components: a video focusing on a time traveling
spiritual practitioner, augmented reality features picturing colorful
light particles, accessible via a dedicated app (App Store: keyword
“BMW Art Car #18”), and the BMW M6 GT3 racecar in its original carbon
black. Paying tribute to the carbon fiber structure of the racecar
chassis, Cao Fei’s holistic use of a non-reflective black incorporates
the car into the possibilities of the digital world.

BMW Art Journey at Art Basel in Hong Kong
In
2015, together with Art Basel, BMW realized an initiative to support
young emerging artists: the BMW Art Journey. Last year’s winner from
Art Basel in Hong Kong, Astha Butail (represented by
GALLERYSKE, New Dehli, Bangalore), will be on the ground in Hong Kong
to give first insights into her upcoming BMW Art Journey project “In
the Absence of Writing”. Her journey will lead Butail through three
oral tradition set ups – Zoroastrian Avesta, Jewish Oral Torah and
Indian Veda traditions – from Yazd (Iran) and Jerusalem (Israel) over
London (UK) to Varanasi, Pune, New Delhi and Mumbai (India).
Discovering memories and living traditions that are passed down
through teaching and oral poetry, Butail’s project is, in her words
“an homage to the intangible oral traditions that are still alive
today.” The journey connects the artist to the sacred languages of the
three cultures she is dwelling upon; Sanskrit, Pharsi and Hebrew. Her
endeavor is to find the similarities within the differences. While
travelling, Butail carries a mobile tent with her, a new form for each
destination, and uses it to make video works along with the books from
her old project, a story within a story.

Furthermore, an international jury of experts will gather again at
the Art Basel show in Hong Kong to select a shortlist of three
artists
from the Discoveries sector for the next BMW Art
Journey. Members of the jury are 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 three artists who will then be invited to submit their proposals
for a journey will be announced at the BMW Lounge
on March 28, 2018, at 5.30 PM. That evening, BMW will
host an exclusive VIP cocktail reception to celebrate the announcement
of the BMW Art Journey shortlist.   
Next to Art Basel in Hong
Kong, BMW also supports the international Art Basel shows in Basel and
Miami Beach as a long-term partner.



For further questions please contact:


Dr Thomas Girst
BMW Group Corporate and Governmental
Affairs
Cultural Engagement
Telephone:
+49-89-382-247
Fax: +49 89 382 24418
 www.press.bmwgroup.com
 E-Mail:
presse@bmw.de

Dorothee Dines
Art Basel Global Head of Media
Relations
Telephone: + 41 58 206 27 06
Email: dorothee.dines@artbasel.com

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 which has
catalyzed much-needed support for outstanding non-commercial art
projects worldwide and so far has helped garner pledges in excess of
USD 2 million in support of around 70 art projects from around the
globe – from Bogota to Ho Chi Minh City, San José and Kabul. 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 contemporary and modern 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. In
2016 and 2017, female artist Cao Fei from China and American John
Baldessari created 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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#BMWGroupCulture

The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI,
Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading
premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides
premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production
network comprises 31 production and assembly facilities in 14
countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2017, the BMW Group sold over 2,463,500 passenger vehicles
and more than 164,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in
the financial year 2016 was approximately € 9.67 billion on revenues
amounting to € 94.16 billion. As of 31 December 2016, the BMW Group
had a workforce of 124,729 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.

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