Hyundai Commission 2015

The first Hyundai Commission opened in October 2015 to the public in the Turbine Hall, the heart of London's Tate Modern. Abraham Cruzvillegas who is recognized around the world for his theory-driven works was the artist for the Hyundai Commission 2015. As the first of a new series of site-specific installations in the Turbine Hall, he presented a large triangular sculpture using soil and various objects collected from around London.

The Turbine Hall, where many monumental works of contemporary art have been seen since the opening of Tate Modern, was once again inviting an audience of millions. Hyundai Commission 2015, presenting the <Empty Lot> by Abraham Cruzvillegas explored ideas of chance, change and hope. The Hyundai Commission is a part of a unique long term partnership between Tate and Hyundai Motor which provides contemporary artists, the opportunity to create an artwork entirely unique at one of the world's most visited art galleries - Tate Modern.

Abraham Cruzvillegas is a Mexican artist who uses found objects and materials to create conceptual installation art. Based on 'Autoconstrucción (Self-construction)', the approach that he has been taking, he created the <Empty Lot> that embodies ideas of the unpredictable future and hope. 'Autoconstrucción (Self-construction)' is a term used to account for the way Mexicans of his parents' generation built their homes when they arrived in the capital from rural areas, using whatever was found or what was affordable. For Cruzvillegas this term has been used to describe his practice. His newest work for the Turbine Hall is in line with this method of creation, using and re-contextualizing locally found objects. His philosophical and conceptual title for the work, ‘Empty Lot’, further enriches the meaning of his new work.

By establishing a new dialogue, <Empty Lot> tells a story of ‘from nothing to hope’. Experience the very first Hyundai Commission through this episode of ‘HYUNDAI Meets’.

<HYUNDAI Meets Hyundai Commission : Abraham Cruzvillegas> is brought to you as part of the ‘HYUNDAI Meets’ project, which started with a film on the Venice Biennale 2015, established to share diverse works of art, exhibitions and insight of leading figures in the art scene with the audience across the globe.

Visitors were able to witness the installation gradually changing over time. In the middle of the busy metropolitan city of London, <Empty Lot> was a space where nothing is produced while also being a place where change might happen.

Many of the artist's interests are embodied in this project, from seed bombing and guerrilla gardening to ancient 'chinampas', a small grid of earth used to grow corn, peppers and tomatoes in the area that later became Mexico City. The triangular shape evokes a giant compass, pointing east and west, but also recalls strong diagonals used by Russian avant-garde artists such as El Lissitsky and the work of the visionary architect Buckminster Fuller whose geodesic dome designs comprised of intersecting triangular elements.

The Turbine Hall came alive with plants sprouting every day. Cruzvillegas’ work presented the resilience of life which sprouts where there appears to be nothing. We captured the tranforming Hyundai Commission 2015: Abraham Cruzvillegas: Empty Lot. Spring had come to the Turbine Hall.

The annual Hyundai Commission presented by Tate and Hyundai Motor will allow global artists to take on the challenge of interpreting the unique atmosphere of the Turbine hall while inviting the audience to witness how art evolves throughout the decade, until 2025.