Nikita Gale premiers “63/22” as part of BMW Open Work by Frieze. The artist and BMW i7 designers co-created a site-specific installation, that will be presented and activated through live acts in the BMW Lounge.

London/Munich. For the sixth consecutive year, Frieze and BMW continue their long-term partnership with the art initiative BMW Open Work by Frieze. Artist Nikita Gale worked with BMW i7 designers to present the site-specific installation “63/22” in the BMW Lounge. Featuring more than 160 of the world’s leading galleries and led by Eva Langret, the 19th edition of Frieze London takes place from October 12-16, 2022.

Curated by Attilia Fattori Franchini, BMW Open Work by Frieze invites an artist to develop an ambitious project utilising BMW design and technology to pursue their practice in innovative new directions. BMW Open Work offers artists the possibility of engaging in a rich dialogue with BMW engineers, designers, and experts from different fields to create unique artistic projects.

Investigating the politics of sound and its surrounding, Nikita Gale’s practice enquires themes of invisibility and audibility, recasting the complicated dynamic between performer and spectator. Within the work, notions are subverted and destabilized.

Nikita Gale’s interest in the history of sound continues with “63/22”, in which the artist reflects on the relationship between automotive and sound technologies, already closely associated since the 1960s. In fact, the Gibson Firebird, one of the most popular electric guitars, was designed by a car designer in 1963.

Emerging from an intense dialogue with BMW i7 designers and engineers whilst reinforcing BMW’s commitment to art and music, Gale presents for Frieze London 2022 a sculptural installation comprising of five customised electric guitars. The guitars will be named historically significant and iconic Black women guitarists: Memphis Minnie, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Barbara Lynn, Big Mama Thornton, and Joan Armatrading. Activated in the lounge through a series of live acts performed by musicians invited by Gale, the guitars will play through the BMW i7, transforming the car into a sound amp, amplifying the relationship between the car, sound technologies and creativity. 

The guitars have been created in collaboration with BMW i7 designers and realised by a UK-based luthier, Ian Malone.

Nikita Gale says: “This commission with BMW and Frieze has been an exciting opportunity to further my long-standing interest in the interconnectedness of sound, space, and social systems. Having the opportunity to work with the incredibly enthusiastic i7 designers at BMW alongside the endlessly talented luthier Ian Malone was a dream come true. I was truly thrilled by the team's excitement around creating these new electric guitar models as we collectively reflected on the parallel histories of music evolution and automotive design.“

“I couldn’t be more excited to work with a polyhedric artist such as Nikita Gale. Gale’s project ‘63/22’ expands the collaborative potentialities of the BMW Open Work commission by inviting BMW i7 designers to create five customized electric guitars. Through this invitation, Gale brings to the foreground a historical investigation of the relationship between technologies of sound and technologies of speed whilst transforming the BMW lounge into an experimental music venue. The project reenacts a productive and cultural exchange between two industries unraveling how these two fields have influenced one another in the past and continue to do so in the present”, said Attilia Fattori Franchini.

Further information can be found at https://frieze.com/bmw-open-work

Frieze Music
In celebration of their long-term collaboration, BMW partners with Frieze to present Frieze Music in London again. On October 12, Mercury Prize nominee Self Esteem will perform at the iconic KOKO Club, followed by DJ Sam Gellaitry. Doors open from 8pm, the performance will begin at 9pm.

Further Events at the BMW Lounge (Frieze London, Regent’s Park):
Wednesday, October 12
From 3pm: VIP Lounge Opening; Guitars activation and performance, Champagne Hour

Thursday, October 13
From 3pm: Guitars activation and performance, Champagne Hour, Talk between Nikita Gale x Ian Malone x BMW designers

Friday, October 14
From 3pm: Champagne Hour

Saturday, October 15
From 12pm: Nikita Gale Book Launch
From 3pm: Guitars activation and performance

Sunday, October 16
From 3pm: Champagne Hour

To register for the events, please click here.