Tate Modern Announces Hyundai To Replace Unilever For Turbine Hall Commission

Tate Modern

This morning, Tate Modern and Hyundai Motor announced the start of their 11-year partnership. Beginning in autumn 2015, Tate will begin The Hyundai Commission, a new series of installations by contemporary artists for the Turbine Hall. Artists will now have the chance to create work for the iconic industrial space, which has served as the heart of the Tate Modern since 2000.

The announcement coincided with the completion of the new bridge that crosses over the Turbine Hall. The bridge joins the new building, still in the process of construction, with the existing galleries. Herzog & de Meuron, the architects responsible for converting the original Bankside Power Plant into the gallery, also designed this bridge, which will be open to the public in 2016.

To start this partnership, Hyundai and Tate’s Asia Pacific Acquisitions Committee have teamed up to improve the Tate’s permanent collection of Asian art. This acquisition is of nine works by the late South Korean artist, Nam June Paik. Tate Liverpool had a major retrospective of Paik in 2010, and these newly acquired pieces cover forty years of his artistic career. Nam June Paik was interested in humans’ relationship with technology, and is often considered the founder of video art.

Vice Chairman of Hyundai, Eui-sun Chung said, “At Hyundai, we understand that cars can provide much more than transportation. They can connect with people emotionally and it is this feeling that connects people to great art.”

Chris Dercon, Director at the Tate Modern said, “The Turbine Hall has a unique place in the public imagination, acting as a stage for cutting-edge contemporary art and as an open forum for people to meet, think, play and debate. Hyundai Commissions will allow us to see how art continues to evolve from 2015 to 2025.”

Words/Photo: Katherine Morais © Artlyst 2014

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