Julie Mehretu’s 20th BMW Art Car: A Fusion of Art, Speed, and Innovation on its Global Tour. (Photo: Courtesy of BMW)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Updated: March 26th, 2025
New York (TADIAS) — Following its global debut in 2024, Julie Mehretu’s 20th BMW Art Car continues its journey, making a highly anticipated stop at Art Basel Hong Kong 2025 as part of the BMW Art Car World Tour. This milestone celebrates five decades of BMW’s iconic “rolling sculptures”—a fusion of art, technology, and automotive innovation—while also setting the stage for an exciting new initiative: the African Film & Media Arts Collective.
Julie Mehretu’s Vision: The 20th BMW Art Car
The 20th BMW Art Car, a striking reinterpretation of the BMW M Hybrid V8, represents Mehretu’s signature abstract style fused with cutting-edge digital manipulation. Inspired by her large-scale painting “Everywhen” (2021–2023), the design integrates digitally altered photographic layers, neon hues, and her characteristic black gestural marks. The car debuted in 2024 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and has since captivated audiences worldwide with its bold aesthetic and conceptual depth.
Mehretu describes her work as a “performative painting that reaches its full expression on the racetrack.” Her dynamic approach to movement and space aligns seamlessly with BMW’s legacy of uniting creative vision with high-performance engineering.
The BMW Art Car World Tour
Unveiling of the BMW Art Car #20 designed by Julie Mehretu at the world premiere at the Centre Pompidou, Paris, 21 May 2024. (Photo: Courtesy of BMW)
Art Basel Hong Kong marks a significant stop on the BMW Art Car World Tour, which will continue throughout 2025 and 2026, showcasing the vehicle at prestigious cultural events such as Taipei Dangdai, Market Art Fair, Concorso d’Eleganza, and various automotive museums and art institutions. As a global partner of Art Basel, BMW continues its long-standing commitment to supporting contemporary art and fostering dialogue between the creative and automotive worlds.
African Film & Media Arts Collective: A New Chapter in Cultural Engagement
In conjunction with the BMW Art Car’s global journey, Mehretu, in collaboration with producer Mehret Mandefro and BMW, is launching the African Film & Media Arts Collective. This initiative will host creative workshops in cities such as Dakar, Lagos, and Cape Town, providing a platform for emerging African artists and filmmakers to explore new forms of storytelling and visual expression.
The outcomes of these workshops will be showcased alongside Mehretu’s BMW Art Car at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape Town in 2026. By fostering artistic collaboration across disciplines, this initiative aligns with BMW’s broader mission of supporting contemporary art and cultural exchange on a global scale.
A Legacy of Innovation: The BMW Art Car Collection
Julie Mehretu signs her BMW Art Car #20 at the world premiere on May 21, 2024, at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. (Photo: Courtesy of BMW)
Since its inception in 1975, the BMW Art Car Collection has brought together some of the world’s most influential artists, including Alexander Calder, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Jenny Holzer, and Jeff Koons. Each Art Car has been a testament to the convergence of fine art and automotive design, with Mehretu’s contribution further solidifying the collection’s legacy of boundary-pushing creativity.
The Road Ahead
As Mehretu’s BMW Art Car continues its world tour, and the African Film & Media Arts Collective begins its journey, this moment marks a significant convergence of artistic expression, technological innovation, and cultural storytelling. With its deep roots in African and global contemporary art, this project exemplifies the power of collaboration in shaping new narratives and pushing creative boundaries.
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For more on this story, revisit Tadias’ previous coverage:
Celebrating Creativity in Africa: Julie Mehretu’s Vision for the 20th BMW Art Car
Julie Mehretu’s BMW Art Car to Make its World Premiere in Paris
Art Talk: A Conversation Between Julie Mehretu and Mehret Mandefro
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