Exclusive first look at “200 Women” Photo Exhibition in BMW Lounge at Frieze New York. Complementing Art and Design Talk in partnership with Soho House.

Munich/New York. For the seventh consecutive year, the BMW Group is again a partner of the Frieze New York art fair. From May 4-6, 2018, the fair will open its gates on Manhattan’s Randall’s Island in a freshly revised fair layout by Universal Design Studio, with preview days on May 2 and 3. In addition to providing VIP shuttle service in a fleet of BMW 7 Series vehicles, BMW will also host an art talk in partnership with Soho House on May 1 to kick-off its Frieze activities. Throughout Frieze week, BMW will welcome fair visitors to a dedicated BMW Lounge which will offer a first glimpse at “200 Women: who will change the way you see the world” by Geoff Blackwell, Ruth Hobday and Kieran E. Scott, an exhibition that will later be on view at Pen + Brush, New York, starting May 16, 2018. 

Based on the storytelling project and book of the same name by creators Geoff Blackwell and Ruth Hobday, “200 Women” is inspired by the simple idea of persuading 200 women – regardless of nationality, race, religion, status or celebrity – to be photographed and filmed in front of a plain sheet of fabric. The book and exhibition are founded on 200 original interviews where these women are asked five fundamental questions about what is most important to them in their life. Supported by BMW Group, the exhibition “200 Women: who will change the way you see the world” portrays some of these remarkable stories with photographic portraits and video interviews designed to provoke thought on diversity and equality through their stories.

A selection of photographs by Kieran E. Scott will be on exclusive preview in the BMW Lounge at Frieze New York, which will open on May 2, 2018 from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. in presence of honorary guests Geoff Blackwell and Ruth Hobday, together with U.S. editor Sharon Gelman. The full exhibition will open at Pen + Brush in New York starting on May 16, 2018 through June 30 before traveling to Munich, Germany for two separate exhibits at the Alte Bayrische Staatsbank (October 27 – November 21) and the Technical University of Munich (November 28 – December 14).  

All Lounge visitors will also have a chance to take a look at the all-new, hybrid electric BMW i8 Roadster which is exhibited there as well.

In addition to its on-fairground activities, BMW will host an art talk as part of an ongoing partnership with Soho House. On May 1, 2018, Zoe Buckman (Visual artist/activist), Joey Lico (The Cultivist's Global Curator) and Lisa Schiff (founder of SFA) will share their stories with Rachel Corbett (Deputy Editor, artnet News) about the woman’s role in the art world of today (Title: #NotSurprised - What‘s next in the artworld?).

“The BMW Group is proud to support the work of Geoff Blackwell and Ruth Hobday and to shine a light on some of the amazing women who are making a positive impact in the world today,” said Trudy Hardy, Vice President of Marketing, BMW of North America. “Diversity is intrinsic to the success of any company and to the success of our society as a whole.”

As one of the most important fairs of contemporary art worldwide, Frieze New York presents more than 190 leading international galleries annually. BMW has been a partner of Frieze London since 2004, and in 2012, the partnership was extended to include Frieze New York. In 2017, BMW and Frieze premiered their new joint initiative “BMW Open Work by Frieze”. 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, the commissioned artists will consider current and future technologies as tools for innovation and artistic experimentation. Premiering annually at Frieze London, each 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.

Apart from Frieze, for more than a decade, BMW has been an active partner of renowned international art fairs including Art Basel Hong Kong, Miami and Basel, Gallery Weekend Berlin and TEFAF Maastricht. In addition, the BMW Group is partner of internationally acclaimed museums such as Tate Modern in London, publishes the “BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors” together with Independent Collectors and focuses on promoting young art with initiatives such as the BMW Art Journey or the Preis der Nationalgalerie.