Radiant; BMW and Frieze London 2019

How does getting a cup of coffee from Starbucks with our name written on it make us feel? Special? Unique? Does it make us feel more individual? Personalising a simple, every day object deepens the emotional connection between the object and humans.

Camille Blatrix, an artist inspired by such individualism and human interaction between everyday objects combined his artistic practice with the Car Customization Department of BMW in partnership with Frieze Art Fair.

The Frieze Art Fair is hosted each year in London, New York, and Los Angeles, and BMW has been partnered with it since 2004. The art fair is unique in its focus on contemporary, living artists such as Camille Blatrix.

The art fair hosted in London, October 2-6 this year showcased one of the accomplishments of Camille Blatrix. The artist’s interests are rooted from the desire of Vertigo and Danger. ‘If you experience danger – which is not easy – you will discover the most beautiful feelings you’ve ever had. I guess some people can experience this with objects and products, a phone or a car’, says Camille Blatrix.

The main pieces of the installation are car (object of desire), and sculpture (the emotion). The sculpture has two sides. The very smooth, shell-like front is inspired by the front the car, and the back looks like a cavity. A shaking thing inside brings a slight danger and attraction. The car is designed with a leather alternative material, Alcantara, to create a very smooth interior which is quite the opposite of the exterior design. The objects are displayed facing each other and an artist finds it quite seductive that the two start to dance when the car lights the inside of the sculpture.

The BMW Open work curator says it was a privilege to have Paris-based artist Camille Blatrix as practitioner. “My practice is deeply rooted in a close dialogue with makers and suppliers, with ideas emerging intuitively from a direct technical conversation. Thanks to BMW Individual, I can harness unparalleled technical knowledge, skills and facilities in a truly open-ended way. I’m excited to explore possibilities of production and consider limits of physical perfection working towards the commission at Frieze London.”-says Blatrix

Frieze Art Fair is the world’s greatest contemporary art celebration gathering modern and contemporary art from 30 different countries. Since its inception in 2017, BMW Open Work worked closely with talented artists such as Olivia Erlanger and Sam Lewitt who had different approach in creating art with design and technology in multi-dimensional format.