BMW commission south african artist to decorate 7 series interior architecture

25 years ago, esther mahlangu, a south african artist, was the first woman to create artwork on a BMW ‘525i’ car. its bodywork was adorned with the bright colors and unique ornamental shapes, typical of ndebele art, thus turning it into a BMW art car. esther mahlangu has now, for the second time, joined forces with the bavarian-automakers and refined a BMW ‘7 series’. in collaboration with the BMW individual manufaktur, mahlangu transformed a luxury sedan into a dynamic work of art by painting her characteristic motifs on the real wood interior trims.

to facilitate this the specialists at the individual manufaktur division oversaw the full manufacturing process. they developed a special white-colored fine-wood trim to be painted with esther’s images before sealing them to ensure their longevity and installing them within the equally remarkable vehicle. the one-of-a-kind automobile will be shown to the public for the first time at this year’s frieze art fair in regent’s park, london. the vehicle will be offered for silent auction and the proceeds will be donated to a good cause.

the 81-year-old artist said, ‘to paint is in my heart and it’s in my blood. the way I paint was taught to me by my mother and my grandmother. the images and colors have changed and I have painted on many different surfaces and objects but I still love to paint. the patterns I have used on the BMW parts marry tradition to the essence of BMW. when it sent me the panels to paint, I could see the design in my head and i just wanted to get started! I start by painting the small ones first to get the feel of the surface and then it was easy as the design follows the lines of the panels’. she continues, ‘my art has taken me all over the world and I have seen many places, I have painted many walls and objects and my work is in many museums but I am still esther mahlangu from mpumalanga in south africa. my heart was full of joy when BMW asked me again to paint for them.’

esther mahlangu was born a member of the ndebele tribe in 1935 in middelburg, a small town in the north-eastern province of mpumalanga. at the early age of 10, she began to paint under the guidance of her mother and grandmother. traditionally, ndebele women decorate the exterior walls of houses with elaborately painted patterns and graphic elements, symbolizing important events such as weddings or other celebrations, thus the walls are used as active communicative media within the community. esther mahlangu has separated these decorations and patterns from her people‘s traditional art of painting. in the form of pictures, vessels or carpets, she has constantly brought it into new contexts, thereby combining her artwork with items used in everyday life.

the vehicle will be auctioned in a silent sale where bidders can submit their bids online or register their bid during the fair at the BMW ‘7 series’ lounge after having experienced the unveiling of the car. after the fair has ended, the person with the highest bid will become the vehicle owner. proceeds will go to the charitable art project ‘the art room’, a project jointly chosen by frieze and BMW. using art as a medium, ‘the art room’ supports five to sixteen year old children and youths in their development. at a talk event being held during frieze week in london, esther mahlangu will also speak on the topic of south african art together with christopher spring, curator of contemporary, eastern and southern africa at the british museum, and provide further insight into her creative work.