London/ Munich. BMW and Frieze are continuing their long-term partnership with BMW Open Work by Frieze, which is an annual major art initiative. In 2023, Marseille-based artist Sara Sadik will showcase a film and video game created for the new BMW i5 at KOKO in Camden Town. This innovative multi-platform format, curated by Attilia Fattori Franchini, merges art, technology, and design.
Both works will be premiered during Frieze London, taking place from October 11-15, 2023. This year, the fair will commemorate its 20th anniversary with the most international edition to date, featuring a diverse program of cultural collaborations and events, including the BMW Open Work format.
Attilia Fattori Franchini (Curator, BMW Open Work) expressed her excitement to work with Sara Sadik, who carefully explores the intersection of art, gaming, and digital technology in her practice. Sadik’s project for BMW Open Work 2023 involves a video game specifically designed for the BMW i5, utilizing the car as a unique experiential device, as well as a film to be played in the BMW Lounge. The project will take Frieze in a completely new artistic direction. Fattori Franchini looks forward to seeing this project unfold at KOKO, further reinforcing the commitment of Frieze and BMW to experimental artistic practices.
Sadik’s video and performance practice combines elements of fiction and documentary. Drawing inspiration from video games, anime, science fiction, and French rap, the artist creates immersive stories that revolve around characters striving for moral and physical transformation. The commission for Frieze London features an interactive playable game specifically designed for the new fully electric BMW i5 in collaboration with BMW Gaming and Innovation Lab experts. In addition, a video will be presented on the exterior of KOKO and at the BMW Lounge. The BMW i5 designers will work alongside Sadik to ensure the technical aspects of the game and enhance the gaming experience in the car through sound and light.
Titled LA POTION (EH), Sadik’s commission explores changing emotional states of young male characters through computer-generated scenarios. Her world-building approach visualizes their emotions while examining the construction and performance of masculinity, its ethical and moral codes, and its broader implications for societal structures.
Sadik follows in the footsteps of previous BMW Open Work artists including Nikita Gale (2022), Madeline Hollander (2020-21), Camille Blatrix (2019), Sam Lewitt (2018), and Olivia Erlanger (2017).
BMW Open Work by Frieze
BMW Open Work by Frieze is an annual joint initiative that combines art, technology, and design in a groundbreaking multi-platform format. Since 2017, BMW Open Work by Frieze has invited an artist each year to create a visionary project inspired by technology, engineering prowess, BMW Design, and exploring current and future technologies as catalysts for innovation and artistic experimentation.
Further information can be found at https://www.frieze.com/bmw-open-work