Julie Mehretu's BMW Art Car Makes Its Debut in Asia During Frieze Seoul

BMW‘s 20th Art Car, designed by globally renowned artist Julie Mehretu has made its official debut in Asia at Frieze Seoul 2024. Showcasing the remarkable BMW M Hybrid V8 racecar, transformed through Mehretu’s creative vision, BMW brings the Hypercar to the Asian market following its reveal at 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The New-York based artist worked closely with the automotive company to create this unique car, utilizing Mehretu’s signature large scale, multi-layering abstract landscapes. In a statement, Mehretu said, “The whole BMW Art Car project is about invention, about imagination, about pushing limits of what can be possible…It’s a performative painting. My BMW Art Car was created in close collaboration with motorsport and engineering teams and is only completed once the race is over.” Central themes of space, movement and energy contributed to the Mehretu’s interpretation of a performative painting. Placing her work on a BMW Art Car, she is able to transform a two-dimensional image into a three dimensional one where color and form are a key to experiencing the piece in movement.

In tandem with Mehretu’s Asia debut of the BMW Art Car, the automotive brand has also exhibited the world premiere of its BMW i7 miniatures designed by artists Heemin Chung and Alvaro Barrington.

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Lucy Emms

The German automaker presented a limited collection of BMW i7 miniature cars created by Korean artist Heemin Chung and London-based Alvaro Barrington. Both artists engaged in a conversation with Hans Ulrich Obrist, curator and member of the BMW Art Car Jury and discussed with Frieze Seoul attendees the artistic intent behind their designs. Both artists had vastly different approaches that were still able to capture the attention of fans globally. Each of the artists designed seven miniatures and the profit from the sales of the miniatures are to be donated to a charity of the artists’ choice.

For Heemin Chung, she takes inspiration from the natural surroundings. Her work challenges the role of technology in society and how it has shaped contemporary approaches to art. At Frieze Seoul, she spoke about the mobility of the i7 and how it imitated nature. She was inspired by the curvature of the i7, and aimed to make the body of the car appear to be like a living organism. Taking form and movements from insects, bird and bats, her miniature cars were also inspired by the silhouettes of ornithopters. As for Alvaro Barrington, the London-based artist saw the cars as way to bridge his personal experiences with the cultural symbol of the car. His designs drew from the value and freedom of cars in popular culture and through a multimedia approach, the cars became a vehicle of the future, exploring the future of cars through the i7 miniatures and how technology impacts the way culture is perceived. The miniature cars are only available for purchase exclusively at Frieze Seoul. Take a look at the artists’ limited edition piece above.