Tate Modern and Hyundai Motor have announced that Mire Lee will create the next annual Hyundai Commission for Tate’s Turbine Hall.
Mire Lee is known for her visceral sculptures which use kinetic, mechanised elements to invoke the tension between soft forms and rigid systems. Her new site-specific work for the Turbine Hall will be open to the public from 8 October 2024 to 16 March 2025. This will be the first major presentation of Lee’s work in the UK.
Born in South Korea in 1988, Lee lives and works between Amsterdam and Seoul. Using industrial materials such as steel rods, cement, silicone, oil and clay, her work explores the animated nature of these materials as they pour, drip and bulge. Lee’s sculptures have a raw, organic appearance with elements suggestive of living organisms which are combined with machine parts. Motors or pumps channel oozing liquids through them with an unsettling effect. Lee is interested in the power of sculpture to affect both the viewer and the immediate surroundings and is unafraid to push artistic boundaries in spectacular ways. Her atmospheric sculptures and installations engage the senses and create spaces to reflect on themes of emotion and human desire.
Karin Hindsbo, Director of Tate Modern, said:
"Mire Lee is one of today’s most intriguing and original contemporary artists and we are delighted she will be creating her first work in the UK here at Tate Modern. Lee produces powerful sculptures, and we look forward to seeing how she transforms the iconic Turbine Hall with her subversive, multi-sensory forms."
DooEun Choi, Art Director of Hyundai Motor Company, said:
"Mire Lee’s sculptures offer a sensorial encounter, exploring the relationship between organic forms and mechanical elements. We anticipate delving into Lee’s unique perspective in her upcoming work for the Hyundai Commission, fostering a profound understanding of interconnectedness."
Since Tate Modern opened in 2000, the Turbine Hall has hosted some of the world’s most memorable and acclaimed works of contemporary art, reaching an audience of millions each year. The way artists have interpreted this vast industrial space has revolutionised public perceptions of contemporary art in the twenty-first century. The annual Hyundai Commission gives artists an opportunity to create new work for this unique context. The commissions are made possible by the long-term partnership between Tate and Hyundai Motor, confirmed until 2026 as part of the longest initial commitment from a corporate partner in Tate’s history.
Curated by Ann Coxon, Curator, International Art, Tate Modern; Alvin Li, Curator, International Art, supported by Asymmetry Art Foundation, Tate Modern; and Bilal Akkouche, Assistant Curator, Tate Modern.
Hyundai Commission: Mire Lee, 8th October 2024 – 16th March 2025, Tate Modern
About the artist
Mire Lee lives and works between Seoul, South Korea and Amsterdam, Netherlands. She has a bachelor’s degree from the Department of Sculpture (2012) and a graduate degree in media art (2013) from the Seoul National University College of Fine Arts. Her recent solo exhibitions include Black Sun (2023) at the New Museum, New York; Look, I’m a fountain of filth raving mad with love (2022) at ZOLLAMTMMK, MMK Frankfurt; HR Giger & Mire Lee (2022) at Schinkel Pavillon, Berlin; and Carriers (2020) at Art Sonje Center, Seoul.
Lee’s work was also featured in several group exhibitions including presentations at the 59th Biennale di Venezia, Venice (2022), 11th Busan Biennale (2022), Kunstverein Freiburg, Freiburg (2021), Antenna Space, Shanghai (2020), the 15th Biennale de Lyon, Lyon (2019), Art Sonje, Seoul (2019), Sharjah Art Foundation (2019), and the 12th Gwangju Biennale Pavilion Project (2018). She has taken part in residencies at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam (2018); Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA Nanji Residency) (2017), and was the recipient of a Special Prize at the 2021 Future Generation Art Prize.
About Hyundai Motor’s art projects: For over a decade, Hyundai Motor Company has deepened its partnerships with global museums and cultural organizations, including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), Tate, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Hyundai Motor’s own art-initiatives include open call programs such as the VH AWARD, the Hyundai Blue Prize, and Artlab Editorial, a digital platform dedicated to art writing by transnational voices. Our ongoing collaborations embrace the complexities of the cultural landscape by exploring new ideas and perspectives within and beyond the art ecosystem. artlab.hyundai.com or follow @hyundai.artlab
—Mark Westall
