BMW Art Talk held at Soho House on the occasion of the fourth edition of BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors BMW as partner of Frieze London to present Art Talk about Esther Mahlangu and South African art.

London/Munich. From October 6 to 9, 2016, Frieze London will open its doors in Regent’s Park for the 14th time. The main section of the fair will be host to 179 international galleries staging solo and group exhibitions of contemporary artists. To mark the opening of the art fair and the fourth edition of the BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors, BMW will co-host an Art Talk on October 4 with Soho House at Shoreditch House in East London, featuring Beth Greenacre (curator of the David Bowie Collection), David Roberts (founder of the David Roberts Arts Foundation) and Anna Somers Cocks (CEO of The Art Newspaper). Since 2014, Soho House and BMW i have been cooperating in the creation of events and experiences focussing on contemporary art, innovation and design. The expanded new edition of the BMW Art Guide, a one of a kind guide to private collections accessible to the public worldwide, now includes collections from countries such as South Korea, Romania and Lebanon and for the first time. It is also available as an eBook. The featured portraits illustrate 256 collections in 43 countries and 180 cities – including some that are showcasing their collection for the very first time.

In addition, BMW will present a unique project by South African artist Esther Mahlangu at the BMW 7 Series Lounge. Following the BMW Art Car designed by Mahlangu as the first female artist included in the collection since 1991, the artist now applied her talents to the interior of a BMW limousine. In collaboration with BMW Individual Manufaktur, Mahlangu decorated the trims of a sedan from the BMW 7 Series with the characteristic graphic motifs of Ndebele art. After a silent auction, profits from the sale of this BMW Individual 7 by Esther Mahlangu will be donated to a good cause following the fair. For more information, please visit: www.bmw.co.uk/7seriesauction. On the occasion of the upcoming exhibition “South Africa: the art of a nation”, on show at the British Museum from October 27, 2016, to February 26, 2017, in which the BMW Art Car by Esther Mahlangu will be featured, the artist will be part of the Art Talk at Frieze Auditorium on October 6, together with the co-curator of the show, Christopher Spring, and thus offer further insight into her work.

As part of the cooperation with Frieze London and its New York counterpart, BMW will once again present this year’s sound installation Frieze Sounds featuring three audio works by international artists commissioned specially for this event. Since 2013, Frieze Sounds has been enriching the visitor’s experience by adding the dimension of sound, both in the vehicles of the shuttle service as well as on the audio stations at the Reading Room and the BMW 7 Series Lounge. For the fifth consecutive year, Cecilia Alemani (High Line Art, New York) is curating this collaborative project – this time including a UK premiere, the commissioned works by Giorgio Andreotta Calò, GCC and Liz Magic Laser.

As in previous years, BMW will provide the limousines of the VIP shuttle service transporting the fair’s VIP guests.

In addition to its commitment to Frieze, BMW has been an active partner of renowned international art fairs including Art Basel Hong Kong, Miami and Basel, Gallery Weekend Berlin and TEFAF Maastricht for over a decade. BMW Group also is a partner of internationally acclaimed museums including the Tate Modern in London and a supporter of young talents with initiatives such as BMW Art Journey or Preis der Nationalgalerie.

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. 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.

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 2015, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.247 million cars and nearly 137,000 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.

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