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Tate Modern and Hyundai Announce the Fourth Hyundai Commission by Tania Bruguera

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hyundai tate modern tania bruguera installation

For 11 years, Hyundai has partnered with Tate Modern — the famed modern art gallery located in London — inviting international artists to create works of art for the institution’s Turbine Hall. This year, Cuban artist and activist Tania Bruguera unveiled a multisensory transformation in response to the crisis surrounding migration.


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Bruguera’s installation focuses on the importance of local interaction, specifically what neighbors can do to help those in need. Visitors are invited to participate in symbolic actions like crying under the influence of an organic compound and revealing a hidden image below a heat-sensitive floor.

The title of the work is ever-changing and somber — a number that grows based on the number of people who have migrated from one country to another in the past year as well as the number of migrant deaths that have occurred so far this year. Instead of showcasing the title, and seriousness of the issue, on walls via posters, guests have the changing number stamped directly on their wrists when they enter the installation.

hyundai commission tate modern tania bruguera

(from left to right) Frances Morris (Director, Tate Modern),Tania Bruguera (Hyundai Commission artist), Tony Whitehorn (President & CEO, Hyundai Motor UK)

Furthering her attempt to combat apathy toward the issue and to break down emotional barriers, Bruguera created a space which releases a contained organic compound into the air to induce tears. This is what Bruguera refers to as “forced empathy,” hoping to trigger an emotional response that coincides with the physical reaction.

This isn’t the first time Hyundai has partnered with organizations to offer improved access to art. In partnership with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Korea, Hyundai invites audiences to get inspired by a variety of art experiences.


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