BMW is official partner of Frieze Seoul. Asian debut of the BMW Art Car #20 by Julie Mehretu and presentation of a limited BMW i7 miniature edition created by artists Heemin Chung and Alvaro Barrington.

Munich/Seoul. From September 4 to 7, Frieze Seoul will open its doors at COEX in Gangnam for the third edition of the internationally renowned art fair in Asia. As one of Frieze’s long-term global partners since 2004, BMW will be celebrating two special premieres at this year's fair: The BMW Art Car #20 by Julie Mehretu makes its Asian debut after being unveiled in Paris in May. Inspired by the BMW Art Car Collection and curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, BMW also presents the world premiere of a limited BMW i7 miniature edition created by artists Heemin Chung and Alvaro Barrington. A major highlight of this year's programme is the second edition of Frieze Music Seoul on September 5, presented in collaboration with BMW and featuring a live performance by Korean singer-songwriter SAAY. BMW will be providing the VIP car service for the third consecutive year, from the inception of Frieze Seoul.

On the occasion of Frieze Seoul, the 20th BMW Art Car by American artist Julie Mehretu will be on display for the first time outside Europe at this year's fair. Fresh from its world premiere at the Centre Pompidou and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it is the latest addition to the legendary BMW Art Car Collection, continuing an almost 50-year tradition. Since 1975, artists such as Alexander Calder, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Jenny Holzer, Jeff Koons, Cao Fei, and John Baldessari have turned BMW race and series cars into works of art.

Space, movement and energy have always been central motifs in Julie Mehretu's work. For the design of the 20th BMW Art Car, she transformed a two-dimensional image into a three-dimensional representation for the first time, with which she succeeded in bringing dynamism into form. Julie Mehretu used the colour and form vocabulary of her monumental painting “Everywhen” (2021 - 2023) as a starting point for her design. The work is currently on view at the artist’s major retrospective at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice and will subsequently become part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, to which it has been gifted. The collaboration between BMW and Julie Mehretu continues beyond the car itself for the first time in the history of the BMW Art Car collection. It includes a joint commitment to a series of PanAfrican Translocal Media Workshops for filmmakers, which will tour various African cities in 2025 and 2026, and will culminate in a major exhibition at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town.

Inspired by the BMW Art Car Collection, BMW will present a limited BMW i7 miniature edition created by Korean artist Heemin Chung and London based artist Alvaro Barrington, that are exclusively for sale at Frieze Seoul. Both artists were selected by curator and member of the BMW Art Car Jury, Hans Ulrich Obrist. The two artists worked on their design using different artistic approaches to encapsulate the essence of human-centered design and technological innovation, exploring the future of mobility. They created the miniatures in reaction to experiencing the BMW i7, and as a reference to the model name of the vehicle, they designed 7 miniatures each. The profit from the sale of the miniatures will be donated to a charity of the artists’ choice.

Heemin Chung investigates the material potential of digital images as she translates them into the mediums of painting and sculpture. Her work interrogates the role of technology in society and how it has shaped contemporary approaches to art.

Chung worked on her project with the early stages of electric motor development in mind, where experiments in mobility were conducted by imitating nature. She mentions ornithopters, which were designed by studying the forms and movements of birds, bats, and insects. The traces of these experiments are still palpable today in various modern electric motor-powered aircraft. Inspired by the organic curves of the i7, Heemin Chung aimed to make the body appear like a living organism, as if something might emerge at any moment. Chung commented on the connection of her work to the keyword "tech magic" used by BMW to describe the feeling of encountering technological features: “It brought to mind the different forms of magic that have existed throughout history, each contributing not only to humanity but also to the survival and flourishing of life on Earth. Although the ornithopter is remembered as a failed experiment, today's technology has made the dream of emulating nature a reality, continuing to spark new imaginations about power and propulsion.”

Alvaro Barrington’s practice explores interconnected histories of cultural production. Considering himself primarily a painter, Barrington’s multimedia approach to image-making employs burlap, textiles, postcards and clothing, exploring how materials themselves can function as visual tools while referencing their personal, political and commercial histories.

Barrington is interested in how the vehicles of the future will have the potential to recognise our moods, emotions and schedules, and as such adapt to them accordingly. The artist explores the future of cars reimagined as self-driving entertainment units and places for meeting that can help bridge different cultures through new technologies such as instant language translation. Utilising artificial intelligence, cars will go far beyond their purely transporting function and instead help us foster new connections and fulfil our daily needs.

For this project, Barrington looked into video games centered around cars, which were not only important as play and entertainment, but also as platforms for music and culture. Exploring the history of cars and other vehicles that enable travel and movement, the artist has focused on the intersection of cars and culture and the way they have influenced one another. Merging these references, the artist created 7 unique cars, each featuring a drawing from a film,  music video or portraying a cultural figure, which remain influential in Barrington's life and practice.

Frieze Music
In celebration of their long-term collaboration, BMW and Frieze will partner again to present Frieze Music in Seoul. On September 5th, after a successful tour in the United States and release of her hit single ‘Domino’, SAAY will be performing at the Shilla for Frieze Music. Exploring the intersection of music and the arts to spark inspiring dialogues, Frieze Music provides artists the opportunity to create a unique performance, highlighting their craft through song, inspiration and conversations with fellow artists. Launched during the inaugural Frieze Los Angeles in 2019, the joint initiative between BMW and Frieze has brought together a wide range of musicians including Moses Sumney, Caroline Polachek, Nilüfer Yanya or Loyle Carner.

To visit the BMW Lounge please note that entrance tickets are required:

BMW Art Car #20 by Julie Mehretu and limited BMW i7 miniature edition by Heemin Chung and Alvaro Barrington
September 4-7
BMW Lounge, Hall C
COEX, 513 Yeongdong-daero,
Gangnam-gu

Private View
Wednesday, September 4: 2.15pm
Followed by a Champagne Toast
Media Accreditation and interview requests
(limited capacity)

Artist Talk with Heemin Chung, Alvaro Barrington and curator Hans Ulrich Obrist
Thursday, September 5: 3pm
Media Accreditation
(limited capacity)

Opening Hours
Wednesday, September 4: 11am to 7pm (invitation only)
Thursday, September 5: 11am to 7pm (invitation and preview ticket holders only 11am to 3pm, open to the public from 3pm)
Friday and Saturday, September 6/7: 11am to 7pm

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