Tate Modern launches first BMW Tate Live Exhibition: Ten Days Six Nights

London. Tate and BMW today announced that an annual live exhibition will be staged in Tate Modern’s unique underground Tanks. It will open in spring 2017 as part of the ongoing BMW Tate Live programme. This announcement marks a new departure in the concept of the art exhibition: rather than seeing a presentation of static objects, visitors will be invited to explore the show as it unfolds over time. This new format will combine installation, performance, film, video, sound and talks over a period of ten days from 24 March to 2 April 2017.

In contrast to the white cube gallery spaces used for traditional exhibitions, artists will be able to make use of the raw, industrial character of the Tanks – huge subterranean concrete containers originally built to hold the fuel for Bankside Power Station. They have now been converted into the world’s first museum space dedicated to performance, film and installation. The alternative atmosphere of the Tanks will provide visitors with a distinctive location in which to engage with new art in a new way. The exhibition will also extend outside to the new Terrace above of the Tanks, animating the landscape around the Switch House for the first time.

For the first BMW Tate Live Exhibition a group of artists have each been invited to create new installations within the Tanks, which can then act as a host or stage for other artists and viewers. The installations will range from a plant-filled salonl to a cloud of artificial mist and will be free to visit during the day. In the evening, they will be further animated with ticketed performances by a range of emerging and established artists from around the world.

Achim Borchardt-Hume, Director of Exhibitions, Tate Modern, said: “‘Our culture is always changing, and so exhibitions must change too. In our connected digital age, artists and audiences are fascinated by live experiences shared in the moment. Our new annual BMW Tate Live Exhibition reflects this shift. It is built around a process of inviting, welcoming, hosting and sharing, which comes directly from the way many artists work today. I can’t wait to see how they can push the format of the exhibition even further in years to come.”

Dr Nicolas Peter, Senior Vice President Region Europe, BMW Group, said: “For almost 50 years, the BMW Group has been involved in culture, always aiming for partnerships fore-fronting developments in the art world. The BMW Tate Live format brings together two innovative, creative and future-oriented organizations, both of which are leaders in their fields. We are proud to continue working with Tate to keep pushing boundaries and enabling the museum experience of the future, while respecting creative freedom and curatorial integrity.”

Featured artists will include Fujiko Nakaya (b.1933, Japan), a pioneer of fog sculpture who first came to prominence through her collaboration with Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T) in the 1970s. Nakaya will transform the South Terrace outside Tate Modern with an immersive sculpture made entirely of water vapour, providing an environment for unique performances and participation. Isabel Lewis (b.1981, Dominican Republic) will be in residence in the Tanks Lobby throughout the duration of the exhibition. She will host a number of her signature occasions, which combine music, food, drink and perfume to create a charged atmosphere for discussions and dance. CAMP, a collaborative studio founded in Mumbai in 2007, will use the Transformer Galleries as a space to share their archive of digital video, unfinished films and electronic media, questioning the boundaries of ownership and authority. Wu Tsang (b.1982, USA) and Fred Moten (b.1962, USA), will present Gravitational Feel, a sculptural performance using fabric and sound to explore the social and physical significance of touch and voice. Other participating artists will include: Carlos Casas, Ian Cheng, Lygia Lewis, Phill Niblock, Daïchi Saïto and Lorenzo Senni, whose live performances in and around the Tanks will span film, music and dance.

The BMW Tate Live Exhibition: Ten Days Six Nights is curated by Catherine Wood, Senior Curator of International Art (Performance) and Andrea Lissoni, Senior Curator of International Art (Film) with Isabella Maidment, Assistant Curator of Performance and Carly Whitefield, Assistant Curator of Film.

BMW Tate Live BMW Tate Live is a long-term partnership between BMW and Tate that features innovative live art, both in-gallery and online. BMW Tate Live aims to reach an international audience through new forms of art, addressing audiences changing needs, tastes and interests in art. The initiative creates a new space for collaboration and a programme that encompasses performance, film, sound, installation and learning – areas where artists can take greater risks and experiment freely. The programme aims to provoke debate on how art can affect intellectual, social and physical change.

About BMW Group’s Cultural Commitment

For almost 50 years now, the BMW Group has initiated and engaged in over 100 cultural cooperations worldwide. The company places the main focus of its long-term commitment on contemporary and modern art, classical music and jazz as well as architecture and design. In 1972, three large-scale paintings were created by the artist Gerhard Richter specifically for the foyer of the BMW Group's Munich headquarters. Since then, artists such as Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Daniel Barenboim, Jonas Kaufmann and architect Zaha Hadid have co-operated with BMW. Currently, female artist Cao Fei from China and American John Baldessari are creating the next two vehicles for the BMW Art Car Collection. Besides co-initiatives, such as BMW Tate Live, the BMW Art Journey and the “Opera for All” concerts in Berlin, Munich and London, the company also partners with leading museums and art fairs as well as orchestras and opera houses around the world. The BMW Group takes absolute creative freedom in all its cultural activities – as this initiative is as essential for producing groundbreaking artistic work as it is for major innovations in a successful business.

Further information: www.bmwgroup.com/culture and www.bmwgroup.com/culture/overview

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For further questions please contact:

Dr Thomas Girst

BMW Group Corporate and Governmental Affairs

Head of Cultural Engagement

Telephone: +49 89-382-24753, Fax: +49 89-382-10881

Leonie Laskowski

BMW Group Corporate and Intergovernmental Affairs

Cultural Engagement

Telephone: +49-89-382-45382

Duncan Holden

Press Officer, Tate

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7887 4939, E-mail: pressoffice@tate.org.uk

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Email: presse@bmw.de

The BMW Group

With its three brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 31 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2015, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.247 million cars and nearly 137,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2015 was approximately € 9.22 billion on revenues amounting to € 92.18 billion. As of 31 December 2015, the BMW Group had a workforce of 122,244 employees.

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