World Premiere of BMW Open Work at Frieze London 2017
Olivia Erlanger to create a new multimedia artwork, for the inaugural BMW Open Work curated by Attilia Fattori Franchini
Olivia Erlanger to create a new multimedia artwork, for the inaugural BMW Open Work curated by Attilia Fattori Franchini
BMW and Frieze enhance their long-term partnership with a new artistic initiative to be premiered at Frieze London 2017. Curated by Attilia Fattori Franchini and emerging out of Frieze Sounds, BMW Open Work brings together art, design and technology in pioneering multi-platform formats, inspired by BMW technologies. The artist chosen to create the first BMW Open Work for Frieze London 2017 is Olivia Erlanger.
The Concept
Curated by Attilia Fattori Franchini, BMW Open Work annually invites an artist to develop a visionary project that creates an immersive experience for the viewer. Drawing inspiration from BMW design, engineering and technology, commissioned artists will consider current and future technologies as tools for innovation and artistic experimentation. Premiering annually at Frieze London, the artwork will have the potential to unfold across physical spaces, such as the fair’s BMW Lounge and Courtesy Car Service, as well as digital platforms.
The initiative’s title 'Open Work' is inspired by Umberto Eco’s literary essay 'Opera Aperta' (1962) which proposes the idea that artworks are constituted in part by the public or by chance, and are therefore open to a wide range of interpretations.
Franchini has selected international artist Olivia Erlanger for the inaugural BMW Open Work commission.
About the artist
American artist Olivia Erlanger (born 1990) is the first artist to be commissioned for BMW Open Work. Known for her sculptures, Erlanger’s work has been exhibited in a variety of solo and group shows. She recently coauthored Hate Suburbia with Luis Ortega Govela, the second edition of which is forthcoming in Fall 2018. Titled Body Electric, her concept for BMW Open Work proposes an immersive, sensory exploration of natural phenomena and their relation to humankind’s technological achievements.
‘As humans begin a mutative synthesis with our machines, Body Electric considers the changing relationship that we have to the environment, as our embodied experience of the “natural” becomes increasingly mediated and distorted by objects of our own design’, Erlanger said of her creative approach. She is now beginning to develop and produce her commission for BMW Open Work, which will be premiered at Frieze London in October 2017.
About the Partnership
Further information on BMW Open Work here.
