The FINANCIAL — Hyundai Motor has opened a new Hyundai Motorstudio brand experience center in Beijing, China. Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing serves as a platform for the company to explore new ideas that bring together advanced technology, contemporary art and environmental sustainability.
Located in Dashanzi, Chaoyang District, Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing is a two-story building with a covering a total of 1,749m2, designed to channel ‘Creative Energy’ and inspire new ideas that allow the public, artists and philosophers to connect with each other. This approach serves as a test-bed for the convergence of advanced technology and contemporary art and allows Hyundai Motor to enlighten the public about design and the environment.
Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing forms part of a thriving artistic community in Beijing known as The 798 Art Zone – or Dashanzi Art District. The new center is part of a complex of 50-year-old decommissioned military factory buildings that boast a unique architectural style.
As Hyundai Motor continues to grow its network of contemporary Hyundai Motorstudio sites worldwide, the company plans to create opportunities for the brand to exhibit its engagement with the arts as well as the commitment to promote sustainability.
Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing was constructed integrating various sustainability considerations. Just outside the building, a ‘vivarium’ (or small botanical garden covered by glass) welcomes visitors, while a large wall painting titled ‘Map of 798’ greets visitors approaching the building, extending up from the first floor through the second. In addition, the building’s air purification unit – ‘Building Annotations’ – takes an artistic form, making the air transfer process visible.
On the second floor is a car gallery, or the ‘Garage’, where a large LED display visualizes meditational images that portray Hyundai Motor’s vision for fuel cell technology and clean energy. Also, on the same floor is the ‘Context Exhibition’ section, where various artworks inspired by the theme of ‘Social Mobility’ are displayed. This exhibition space is dedicated to introducing the work of local artists and takes on a new theme every year, according to Hyundai.
“Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing is a physical place and an experience embodying our goal to champion sustainability and creative energy,” said Euisun Chung, Vice Chairman at Hyundai Motor Company. “We are thrilled to install this initiative in 798, a site of so much innovation and experimental creativity.”
Hyundai Blue Prize
Hyundai Motor plans to further promote and support young and upcoming contemporary Chinese art curators with the ‘Hyundai Blue Prize’ project. This initiative aims to discover art prospects and assist them by providing mentoring, production support and exhibition spaces at Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing.
Hyundai Motorstudios are brand experience zones that convey the company’s artistic spirit and experimental approach to design. This is where ‘motor’ – a word used for the automobile industry – and ‘studio’ – a word that refers to a place for contemplating and creating a new lifestyle – converge in a way that is accessible for the public.
The Beijing site is the second Hyundai Motorstudio to open outside of Korea, with the other situated in Moscow, Russia. The first-ever such installation opened in Seoul, Korea in 2014, with three additional Motorstudio sites in Korea (Hanam, Gyeonggi Province; Goyang, Gyeonggi Province; COEX, Seoul) completing the global network of contemporary art and brand facilities.
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