BMW is official partner of Art Basel in Hong Kong 2022. Leelee Chan’s BMW Art Journey book “Tokens From Time” published.

130 leading galleries from 28 countries and territories will present a unique overview of the diverse art scenes across Asia and beyond during this year’s Art Basel in Hong Kong. The fair is taking place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from May 27 to May 29, 2022, with preview days on May 25 and May 26, 2022. As official partner of the show, BMW will again provide the VIP shuttle service. Furthermore, “Tokens From Time” a publication of BMW Art Journey awardee 2020, Leelee Chan, which is based on the experiences and impressions of her BMW Art Journey was published by Hatje Cantz and is now available online.

The BMW Art Journey is an initiative founded by Art Basel and BMW in 2015, to support emerging to mid-career artists. In a journey that took her to Mexico, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland, Hong Kong-based sculptor Leelee Chan investigated the properties and social histories of materials old and new. In Italy, she visited copper and bell foundries, old marble quarries and sculpting studios, a medieval iron workshop and late antique and medieval mosaics. In Germany, she observed the work of architectural glass and mosaic manufacturers and met with BMW designers and engineers working with sustainable, resource-efficient, and natural materials of the next generation. In Mexico, Leelee Chan met with historians, miners, and craftsmen to learn about silversmithing and obsidian artisan techniques as well as the history and socio-environmental impact of mining. Furthermore, she spoke to scientists from Switzerland and the Netherlands to get to know more about low-carbon-emission cement and mycelium, a fungus based biodegradable substance that points to a sustainable environmental future. Everywhere she went, Chan documented her experiences in vivid photographs and texts which are collected in her book. This richly illustrated volume brings together essays, documentary photographs, and works inspired by the trip to examine the core questions of Chan’s project: What does it mean to be a sculptor in the current time? What can we learn from the materials of yesterday? And how can tomorrow’s materials ensure our sustainable future?

For further information and press material about the BMW Art Journey artists and their projects, please also visit the press section: www.bmw-art-journey.com/press  

“Tokens From Time” is available for purchase online at www.hatjecantz.de

BMW is a global partner of Art Basel and has supported Art Basel’s shows in Basel, Miami Beach and Hong Kong as a long-term partner.