Tate Modern
HYUNDAI COMMISSION: SUPERFLEX
Opening: 3 October 2017
Founded by artists Bjørnstjerne Christiansen,
Jakob Fenger and Rasmus Nielsen,
curated by Donald Hyslop, Head of Regeneration & Community
Partnerships, with Synthia Griffin, Curator of Regeneration & Community Partnerships and assistant curator Valentina Ravaglia.
Exhibition: 3 October 2017 – 2 April 2018

https://www.tate.org.uk
http://brand.hyundai.com

 

 

 

Tate Modern and Hyundai Motor today announced that Danish collective SUPERFLEX will undertake this year’s Hyundai Commission for the Turbine Hall, opening on 3 October 2017. It will be the next in this major series of annual site-specific commissions by renowned international artists.

SUPERFLEX is best known for its playfully subversive installations and films. Founded by artists Bjørnstjerne Christiansen, Jakob Fenger and Rasmus Nielsen, SUPERFLEX offers engaging, often humorous perspectives on the social and cultural concerns of our age, from migration to alternative energy production, and from the power of global capital to the regulation of intellectual property.

Through a diverse and complex practice, SUPERFLEX challenges the traditional confines and expectations of art and the exhibition space. Superkilen (2011) a major public park project in one of Copenhagen’s most diverse neighbourhoods was developed through collaboration with local residents from over 50 countries. SUPERFLEX employed a strategy they call ‘extreme participation’ to engage the community and create a unifying urban space with a distinct international identity. In contrast, Hospital Equipment (2014) highlights the role of context in the definition of artistic practice. Consisting of an installation of surgical equipment dispatched directly from gallery to conflict zone, the work oscillates from ‘readymade’ artwork to potentially lifesaving, functional object. Also known for their varied filmworks, SUPERFLEX has explored themes including the analysis of art forgeries and migration at the outermost borders of the EU through film. Referring to their works as tools, SUPERFLEX engage alternative models for the creation, dissemination, and maintenance of social and economic organisation.

Since Tate Modern opened in 2000, the Turbine Hall has hosted some of the world’s most memorable and acclaimed works of contemporary art, reaching an audience of millions each year. The way artists have interpreted this vast industrial space has revolutionised public perceptions of contemporary art in the 21st century. The annual Hyundai Commission gives artists an opportunity to create new work for this unique context. It is made possible by the long-term partnership between Tate and Hyundai Motor, confirmed until 2025 as part of the longest initial commitment from a corporate sponsor in Tate’s history.

Frances Morris, Director of Tate Modern, said:
‘We are delighted to announce that SUPERFLEX will undertake the Hyundai Commission in 2017. Their work raises timely questions about the role of the artist in contemporary society, exploring how we interpret and engage with the increasingly complex world around us. I can’t wait to see how they tackle these themes within the unique scale and public context of Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall.’

Hyundai Motor said:
“We are delighted to welcome SUPERFLEX as the third Hyundai Commission at Tate Modern. With their unique and witty approach, SUPERFLEX addresses important and complex issues of our times. We are looking forward to experiencing how their project for this year’s Hyundai Commission will stimulate our imagination and challenge our understanding of the world.”

 

 

Photo: Jan Søndergaard ©

 

 

SUPERFLEX is based in Copenhagen and was founded in 1993 by Danish artists and Bjørnstjerne Christiansen, Jakob Fenger and Rasmus Nielsen. SUPERFLEX has gained international recognition for projects and solo exhibitions around the world, including Kunsthalle Basel; the Mori Museum, Tokyo; Hirshhorn Museum, Washington DC; and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. The group has participated in international biennials such as the Gwangju Biennale, Istanbul Biennial, São Paulo Biennial, Shanghai Biennial, and in the Utopia Station exhibition at the Venice Biennale. SUPERFLEX are represented in several public art institutions, such as MoMA, New York; Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark; FRAC Nord-Pas de Calais; and Coleccion Jumex, Mexico City.

The Hyundai Commission: SUPERFLEX will be curated by Donald Hyslop, Head of Regeneration & Community Partnerships, with Synthia Griffin, Curator of Regeneration & Community Partnerships and assistant curator Valentina Ravaglia. It will be accompanied by a new book from Tate Publishing.

ABOUT HYUNDAI MOTOR

Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is committed to becoming a lifetime partner in automobiles and beyond. The company leads the Hyundai Motor Group, an innovative business structure capable of circulating resources from molten iron to finished cars. Hyundai Motor has eight manufacturing bases and seven design & technical centres worldwide and in 2016 sold 4.86 million vehicles globally. With more than 110,000 employees worldwide, Hyundai Motor continues to enhance its product line-up with localized models and strives to strengthen its leadership in clean technology, starting with the world’s first mass-produced hydrogen-powered vehicle, ix35 Fuel Cell and IONIQ, the world’s first model with three electrified powertrains in a single body type.

More information about Hyundai Motor and its products can be found at: http://worldwide.hyundai.com or http://www.hyundaiglobalnews.com.

Hyundai Motor has a strong commitment to supporting art communities and has initiated partnerships with organizations around the world to offer better access to experiencing art. Hyundai Motor hopes to encourage greater understanding of art through the annual Hyundai Commission. Hyundai Motor explores the unique values of art, in addition to supporting the Hyundai Commission, with the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and supports the spread of the extraordinary experiences. Also Hyundai Motor and global media group Bloomberg launched a collaborative project ‘Brilliant Ideas’, which realizes a new vision to profile major art personalities to deliver exciting insight.

The first Hyundai Commission opened in 2015 when Abraham Cruzvillegas unveiled Empty Lot. Provoking questions about chance, change and hope, this vast sculpture included over 23 tonnes of London soil, from which grass, weeds and flowers slowly emerged. The current commission is by Philippe Parreno and remains open until 2 April 2017. Entitled Anywhen, it transforms the Turbine Hall with a constantly changing sequence of lights, soundscapes and films, playing with the visitor’s experience of time and space.

Admission free
Open daily from 10.00 – 18.00 and until 22.00 on Friday and Saturday

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/hyundai-commission-superflex