“Art is a beautiful way of seeing the world as it was, is and will be tomorrow,” said Vikram Pawah, President, BMW Group India. With this thought, the company showcased its version of sustainability both through its products and art at the 13th India Art Fair, held in Delhi.
This was the sixth year for the company as the presenting partner for the fair. This year’s collaboration aimed to celebrate the region’s artists and dynamic arts scene through a series of dedicated initiatives and commissions, an official statement by BMW said.
The idea this year around was to promote art from young upcoming Indian artists while keeping themes based on the pillars of sustainability, reuse and re-circularity, team BMW mentioned during an interaction.
To achieve this, the company created a jury of art experts, including Bose Krishnamachari, Founding President, Kochi Biennale; Sonal Singh, MD, Christie’s India; Jaya Asokan, Fair Director, India Art Fair and Alex Kuruvilla, Managing Director, Condé Nast India, to shortlist the top finalist.
The jury shortlisted Farrah Mulla, Latheesh Lakshman, Visakh Menon and Faiza Khan. Each artist was given two months to virtually showcase their sustainability version through their art. To push the young upcoming artist, the selected artists were within the age group below 40.
Then through public voting via an online portal and the help from the jury, the company selected Faiza Khan’s art to be wrapped around an iX. The idea behind wrapping the car instead of painting on it was that as this is a digital age and also the artists used a 3D virtual model of the vehicle to showcase their arts, the company wanted to keep the essence intact, hence went for the wrap, the BMW team noted. The car was then taken to three cities, including Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai, before moving to the Art Fair, the team added.
SUNO- The Car
The art dubbed ‘SUNO’ represents a coming together of people of all kinds against the backdrop of a common sky, Faiza Khan, the artist, noted. For the artist who likes to explore the relationship between self and society, sustainability is about connectedness, she added.
“For me, sustainability and circularity are closely connected to the choices we make when it comes to production, consumption, technology as well as to our community,” she added.
Along with the drawings of real people, the car also featured some Urdu words, including the word ‘SUNO,’ meaning ‘listen,’ along with ‘TASAWUR’, ‘UMEED’ and ‘NIGEHBAAN’, meaning to ‘imagine,’ ‘hope’ and ‘safeguard,’ respectively.
The artist tells us to remind ourselves to pay attention to the many voices that can shape our collective future. “The monochromatic drawings on the car wrap root from my own practice. These try to represent a sort of gathering or coming together-against the backdrop of a common sky,” Khan said.
Khan is an Indian contemporary artist known for her intricate drawings and paintings. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from JNU and Fine Arts University, Hyderabad and a Masters’s in Art History from the University of Hyderabad.
Showcasing Sustainability Might
Along with showing sustainability through art, the German carmaker also showcased a few of its current EV offerings, including the iX and the MINI 3-Door Cooper SE EV, along with its upcoming i4 EV, which is expected to be launched on May 26, 2022, in India.
Pawah added, “Our electric vehicles are an expression of a sustainable future. Just like an artist develops a work around a central theme, BMW Group develops its e-vehicles around the core of sustainability - in form, function and emotion.”