Hyundai Motor and Tate Modern announce Anicka Yi as artist for 2020 Hyundai Commission

• Hyundai Commission, a key part of the 11-year partnership with Tate, represents Hyundai’s commitment to enable better access to experiencing art

• Hyundai Motor continues its mission to support art and its global communities through long-term partnerships with global museums

Seoul/London, March 13, 2020 – #hyundai Motor Company and #tatemodern today announced that #anickayi will create the 2020 #hyundai Commission, a new site-specific work for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. Hyundai Commission: Anicka Yi will open to the public from October 6, 2020 until January 10, 2021.

Hyundai Motor’s 11-year partnership with Tate, confirmed until 2025, is the longest initial commitment from a corporate partner in Tate’s history. The annual #hyundai Commission gives artists an opportunity to create new work for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, a space that has witnessed works that have revolutionized public perceptions of contemporary art in the twenty-first century. This year’s #hyundai Commission, the sixth in this series of extraordinary works, will unveil Anicka Yi’s largest and most ambitious project to date.

Anicka Yi explores the links between art and science. While drawing from the research of philosophers who are concerned with emerging forms of life and intelligence, her work also addresses present day questions around migration, class and gender. She is known for the way her works activate different senses and for experimenting with unorthodox materials that have ranged from tempura batter to kombucha leather.

Wonhong Cho, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of #hyundai Motor, said, “We are delighted to support the sixth annual #hyundai Commission by #anickayi. Her exploratory and interdisciplinary works add valuably to contemporary conversations surrounding art and science, and we look forward to how her work will reflect on the ever-evolving connections between humans and technologies.”

Frances Morris, Director of #tatemodern, said, “Anicka Yi has developed a reputation for highly innovative work. Her installations are unforgettable, using the latest scientific ideas and experimental materials in unexpected ways. The results not only engage the senses, but also tackle some of the big questions we face today about humanity’s relationship to nature and technology.”

Over the years, Yi has presented a wide range of highly experimental works. At the 2019 Venice Biennale, Yi created giant pods made of kelp filled with animatronic insects (Biologizing The Machine (tentacular trouble), 2019), as well as panels of soil in which an artificial intelligence (AI) controlled the environment of living organisms (Biologizing The Machine (terra incognita), 2019) – focusing on the sensorium of the machine and contemplating how new channels of communication can be established between AI entities and organic life forms. Other recent projects, exploring the intersections of biological science and technology, have featured a fragrance incorporating chemical compounds from humans and ants (Immigrant Caucus, 2017), and a display of metal pins corroding in ultrasonic gel (Shameplex, 2015). Yi will be continuing her cross-disciplinary approach for the 2020 #hyundai Commission.

Hyundai Motor seeks inspiration from all realms to create new values and make progress towards a shared future. The company's commitment to supporting art and its global communities has led to long-term partnerships with museums and organizations around the world. The aim is to encourage exploring of innovative and creative ideas while enabling better access to experiencing art. Through its global art initiatives, #hyundai Motor supports the development of a sustainable art environment with the belief that art is a lens that can help us expand our understandings of the world and move forward with the right questions.

*All images must be accompanied by a credit line below. The use of images for front covers may attract a fee and will require prior authorization of the copyright holder. Please contact Tate Press Office for such use.

Image Credits

Image 1. #anickayi, Photo: David Heald

Image 2. #anickayi, Biologizing The Machine (tentacular trouble), 2019. Photo: Renato Ghiazza

About 2020 #hyundai Commission

Date: October 6, 2020 until January 10, 2021

Location: #tatemodern, Turbine Hall, Bankside, London SE1 9TG

Hyundai Commission 2020 will be curated by Mark Godfrey, Senior Curator, #tatemodern, Petra Schmidt, Production Manager, #tatemodern and Carly Whitefield, Assistant Curator, #tatemodern. It will be accompanied by a new book from Tate Publishing.

About Anicka Yi

Anicka Yi is a Korean-American artist, born in Seoul in 1971 and now lives and works in New York City. She has been the subject of solo exhibitions at museums including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, Kunsthalle Basel, and the Fridericianum in Kassel. Her work featured in the Venice Biennale in 2019, the Whitney Biennial in 2017 and the Gwangju Biennale in 2016, as well as in many group exhibitions around the world. She won the Hugo Boss Prize in 2016 and has held residencies and fellowships at the Berggruen Institute in Los Angeles, the Headlands Center for the Arts, and the Center for Art Science and Technology at MIT.

Past #hyundai Commissions

• Hyundai Commission: Kara Walker: Fons Americanus (October 2, 2019 – April 5, 2020)

• Hyundai Commission: Tania Bruguera (October 2, 2018 – February 24, 2019)

• Hyundai Commission: SUPERFLEX: One Two Three Swing! (October 3, 2017 – April 2, 2018)

• Hyundai Commission: Philippe Parreno: Anywhen (October 4, 2016 – April 2, 2017)

• Hyundai Commission: Abraham Cruzvillegas: Empty Lot (October 13, 2015 – April 3, 2016)