Hyundai Commission 2017: SUPERFLEX - One Two Three Swing!

Tate Modern today unveils a large-scale interactive installation by Danish collective SUPERFLEX.One Two Three Swing! is the first Turbine Hall commission to extend beyond the gallery walls. An orange line connecting dozens of three-seated swings weaves through the Turbine Hall, emerging onto the landscape outside Tate Modern where it will activate the space and continue to extend over time. Conceived as an assembly line for collective movement, the work invites audiences to combat social apathy through collaborative action, joining together on the count of three – One Two Three Swing! This is the third annual Hyundai Commission, a series of site-specific works created for the Turbine Hall by renowned international artists, as part of the partnership between Tate and Hyundai Motor.

One Two Three Swing! challenges society’s apathy towards the political, environmental and economic crises of our age. The installation engages with the Turbine Hall’s industrial history as a site for the generation of energy and its new role as an open space in the heart of an art gallery, which the work now connects to London’s network of public spaces. In dialogue with the surrounding architecture – the sloping entrance, the east end of the hall, and the bridge on level 1 – the installation is experienced in three states: apathy, production, and movement. The state of apathy comprises a large pendulum suspended by a 20 metre cable from the ceiling and swinging above a 770 square metre carpet in a colour scheme inspired by British currency. Occupying the far end of the hall is the state of production, a factory station where swing seats are assembled, stamped and stored prior to distribution and use. Emerging from the state of production, an orange line formed of sets of interconnected, three-seated swings invite and frame the movements of users.

The act of resting in contemplation, with the hypnotic pendulum swinging above, is set in contrast to the liberating, collaborative experience of swinging together. Over time the work will evolve as the orange line continues to grow and new swings are added, spreading outside Tate Modern, into the urban landscape of London and potentially beyond into the wider world. The work explores the potential of energy generated by social movements, drawing unexpected connections within, between, and beyond institutions, and proposing new uses for urban public space.

SUPERFLEX was founded in 1993 by Jakob Fenger, Bjørnstjerne Christiansen and Rasmus Nielsen. With a diverse and complex practice, SUPERFLEX challenges the role of the artist in contemporary society and explores the nature of globalisation and systems of power. SUPERFLEX has gained international recognition for projects and solo exhibitions around the world, including Kunsthalle Basel, Basel; the Mori Museum, Tokyo; Van AbbeMuseum, Eindhoven; South London Gallery, London and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. The group has participated in international biennials such as the Gwangju Biennale, Istanbul Biennial, São Paulo Biennial, Shanghai Biennial, and in the Utopia Station at the Venice Biennale. SUPERFLEX is represented in several public art institutions, such as MoMA, New York; Hirshhorn Museum, Washington; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen; The Hammer, Los Angeles; Kunsthaus Zurich, Zurich; Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam and Colección Jumex, Mexico City.

The Hyundai Commission 2017 is curated by Donald Hyslop, Head of Regeneration & Community Partnerships, with Synthia Griffin, Curator of Regeneration & Community Partnerships and assistant curator Valentina Ravaglia. It will be accompanied by a new book from Tate Publishing.

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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. 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. It is made possible by the long-term partnership between Tate and Hyundai Motor, confirmed until 2025 as part of the longest initial commitment from a corporate sponsor in Tate’s history.

Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is committed to becoming a lifetime partner in automobiles and beyond. The company leads the Hyundai Motor Group, an innovative business structure capable of circulating resources from molten iron to finished cars. Hyundai Motor has manufacturing bases in eight countries as well as a global network of eight technical centers and four design centers. Hyundai Motor Hyundai Motor sold 4.86 million vehicles globally in 2016 and employs more than 110,000 employees worldwide. The company continues to enhance its product line-up with localized models and strives to strengthen its leadership in clean technology, starting with the world’s first mass-produced hydrogen-powered vehicle, ix35 Fuel Cell and IONIQ, the world’s first model with three electrified powertrains in a single body type.

More information about Hyundai Motor and its products can be found at: http://worldwide.hyundai.com or http://www.hyundaiglobalnews.com.

Hyundai Motor has a strong commitment to supporting art communities and has initiated partnerships with organizations around the world to offer better access to experiencing art. Hyundai Motor hopes to encourage greater understanding of art through the annual Hyundai Commission. Hyundai Motor explores the unique values of art, in addition to supporting the Hyundai Commission, with the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and supports the spread of the extraordinary experiences. Also Hyundai Motor and global media group Bloomberg launched a collaborative project ‘Brilliant Ideas’, which realizes a new vision to profile major art personalities to deliver exciting insight.

Further information about Hyundai Motor’s global art partnerships and its various activities is available at: http://brand.hyundai.com

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