London/Munich. BMW and Frieze continue their
long-term partnership with the major artistic initiative BMW Open Work
by Frieze. Curated by Attilia Fattori Franchini, the initiative brings
together art, design and technology in pioneering multi-platform
formats. The artist chosen to create the second BMW Open Work for
Frieze London 2018 is New York-based artist Sam Lewitt.
The concept
Curated by Attilia Fattori Franchini, BMW Open Work invites an artist
to develop a visionary project that creates an immersive experience
for the viewer. Drawing inspiration from BMW design, engineering and
technology, the commissioned artist considers current and future
technologies as tools for innovation and artistic experimentation.
Premiering at Frieze London, the artwork will have the potential to
unfold across physical spaces, such as the fair’s BMW Lounge and
Courtesy Car Service, as well as digital platforms.
The initiative’s title “Open Work” is inspired by Umberto Eco’s
literary essay “Opera Aperta” (1962) which proposes the idea that
artworks are constituted in part by the public or by chance, and are
therefore open to a wide range of interpretations.
Franchini has selected international artist Sam Lewitt for the second
installment of the BMW Open Work commission in 2018.
Franchini said: “Now in its second year, BMW Open
Work offers to artists the possibility of engaging in a rich dialogue
with BMW engineering and design expertise. This dialogue is a unique
possibility of encounter and creation between different fields.
Working with a sharp artist such as Sam Lewitt, whose project
challenges conceptually and sculpturally our understanding at the core
of motor corporate production, is absolutely thrilling.”
“Commissioning new work has been at the heart of Frieze London since
it began. Through this partnership with BMW, we are thrilled to be
supporting ambitious, thought-provoking work and opening up
conversations between art, design and technology”, said Jo
Stella-Sawicka, Artistic Director, Frieze.
Dr Nicolas Peter, Member of the Board of Management of BMW Group,
said: “We are extremely happy seeing BMW Open Work moving forward in
its second year. Attilia Fattori Franchini has done an exceptional job
shaping this initiative and making it another great example of BMW’s
commitment to artistic freedom in creative practice. It has been very
exciting to see Sam Lewitt engage with our BMW engineers and experts,
and I cannot wait to see the result come to life in our BMW Lounge
later in the year.”
Lewitt is now in the process of developing his
commission for BMW Open Work, which will be premiered at Frieze London
in October 2018. Further details will be announced in the coming months.
For further information in the course of the project, please go to:
https://frieze.com/bmw-open-work
BMW has been partnering with Frieze since 2004. In 2012, they
co-initiated the ‘Frieze Sounds’ program. BMW Open Work builds upon
this long-term collaboration since 2017. Olivia Erlanger was selected
for the inaugural commission. Her work ‘Body Electric’ offered an
immersive, sensory exploration of natural phenomena and their relation
to humankind’s technological achievements.
For further questions please contact:
Prof. Dr. Thomas Girst
BMW Group Corporate and Governmental Affairs
Cultural Engagement
Telephone:
+49 89 382 24753, Fax:
+49 89 382 24418
Leonie Laskowski
BMW Group Corporate and Governmental Affairs
Cultural Engagement
Telephone:
+49 89 382 45382, Fax:
+49 89 382 24418
E-Mail: presse@bmw.de
Michelangelo Bendandi
Communications
Frieze
Telephone:
+44 3372 6100
E-Mail: press@frieze.com
About Frieze
Frieze is the leading platform for modern and contemporary art for
scholars, connoisseurs, collectors and the general public alike.
Frieze comprises three magazines—frieze magazine, Frieze Masters
Magazine and Frieze Week—and three international art fairs—Frieze
London, Frieze Masters and Frieze New York. Additionally, Frieze
organizes a program of special courses and lectures in London and
abroad through Frieze Academy.
Frieze was founded in 1991 by Matthew Slotover and Amanda Sharp, with
the launch of frieze magazine, the leading international magazine of
contemporary art and culture. In 2003, Sharp and Slotover launched
Frieze London art fair, which takes place each October in The Regent’s
Park, London. In 2012, they launched Frieze New York, which occurs
each May in Randall’s Island Park, and Frieze Masters, which coincides
with Frieze London in October and is dedicated to art from ancient to modern.
About Attilia Fattori Franchini
Attilia Fattori Franchini is an independent curator and writer based
in London. She is co-founder of the not for profit platforms
bubblebyte.org and Opening Times and contributes critical essays and
reviews to international publications. Fattori Franchini is currently
working on Curva Blu, a residency project in Favignana, Sicily; the
curated_by Festival in Vienna, 2018 and will direct the next edition
of the Termoli Art Prize, Italy.
Recent projects include: Red Lake at Point Centre for Contemporary
Art, Nicosia, (CY), 2018; the Emergent section of miart, 2018; ARS17+
at Kiasma, Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, 2017; Céu
Torto, BFA, São Paulo, BR, 2017; Dawning, Mexico City, MX,
2017; Europa and the Bull, LambdaLambdaLambda, Pristina, KO,
2016; Oa4s, Temra and David in 4 parts, Sorbus, Helsinki, 2016; Yves
Scherer, Snow White and The Huntsman, Mexico City, 2016; Bold
Tendencies 2015, London.
About Sam Lewitt
Sam Lewitt is an artist based in New York. Selected institutional
solo exhibitions include: Swiss Institute, New York (2016), Kunsthalle
Basel (2016) and The Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art, San
Francisco (2015). Selected group exhibitions include Other Mechanisms,
Secession, Vienna (2018), Crash Test, La Panacée, Montpellier (2018),
the 57th Venice Biennale, Venice (2017), A Slow Succession with Many
Interruptions, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San
Francisco (2016), Nature after Nature at Fridericianum, Kassel (2014),
and Materials and Money and Crisis, MUMOK, Vienna (2013) and the
Whitney Biennial (2012).
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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMWGroupCulture/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmwgroupculture/
@BMWGroupCulture
#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 30 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 2017 was € 10.655 billion on revenues amounting to
€ 98.678 billion. As of 31 December 2017, the BMW Group had a
workforce of 129,932 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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