at art basel, BMW i5 becomes 'the electric AI canvas' with works by esther mahlangu & more

‘The Electric AI Canvas’ by BMW at Art Basel 2023

At Art Basel 2023, BMW showcases its 100% fully electric sedan BMW i5 as a physical vehicle art canvas whose surface is animated with generative art from the works by contemporary artists Esther Mahlangu, Kohei Nawa, Eric N. Mack, Koo Jiyoon and Bin Woo Hyuk. Named ‘The Electric AI Canvas,’ the car-art concept and installation is exhibited in Art Basel from June 12th to 18th 2023 where visitors are afforded a glimpse of BMW’s virtual work and series ‘The Ultimate AI Masterpiece.’

Part of the car brand’s goal for the series is to adopt artificial intelligence and project its generated images onto its vehicles. BMW collaborates with Nvidia’s AI architecture StyleGAN to create ‘The Electric AI Canvas’ for Art Basel 2023. Initially, a base model is trained to represent art in general, and then StyleGAN is further trained using works from contemporary artists involved in the project.

With the help of creative technologist Nathan Shipley and Gary Yeh, custom AI-generated animations are created using AI models trained on a curated dataset of renowned contemporary artists’ works. These AI models are built upon a foundational set trained on over 50,000 images spanning 900 years of art history. The AI generates brand-new abstract animations inspired by styles found in classical and contemporary art, which are then projected onto the BMW i5 like the ones shown at Art Basel 2023.

photo: Esther Mahlangu | header: Bin Woo Hyuk | images courtesy of BMW, unless stated otherwise

projection mapping ON THE BMW i5

The newly created animations churned out by artificial intelligence are now exhibited for the first time at Art Basel 2023 as an on-site art experience, employing projection mapping onto the BMW i5. The art installation harmoniously blends design with machine capabilities, exemplifying BMW’s ongoing commitment to exploring the intersection of technology and art in the era of artificial intelligence. Each artist’s distinguishable style and visual language becomes amplified and reflected by mirrors to further immerse the visitors in the artistic car experience.

Esther Mahlangu takes her bold lines and expressive streaks onto the surface of the BMW i5 sedan. For The Electric AI Canvas, she contours the vehicle with her pronounced, signature lines, crisscrossing like zebra prints while occasionally disrupted by flushes of bright red and yellow. Those thick black strips resonate well with Kohei Nawa’s visual aesthetics as his black-and-white slashes make their way onto the BMW i5. The artist’s frayed black and white lines are sometimes spaced out and other times lined up.

3395, Esther Mahlangu, original artwork for The Electric AI Canvas

paintings become animated artworks

Bin Woo Hyuk echoes the nuances of Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ with the deep blue, lush green, and flecks of white dotting his artistic landscape. Strokes brushing sideways, the imagery may recall an isolated island abundant with natural resources. The nuances of his dreamlike artwork become mirrored in Eric N. Mack’s vibrant textile work, appearing as ribbon-like orange streak circles around the fully electric sedan while spotted with gradient purple that may reflect the palette of amethyst stones.

Modernized and digital craters show up in Mack’s abstract design too, completing his car canvas with a hint of muted color. The abstraction found in Mack’s work lends its aura to Koo Jiyoon’s earthy and hearty brush strokes, showing up at The Electric AI Canvas with a void-like background bathed with subtle hues of psychedelic sunset-sky and midnight-blue nudges, as if they were a modern reinterpretation of the Northern Lights. 

Eric N. Mack

BMW i5 is fully electric

‘The Electric AI Canvas’ by BMW at Art Basel 2023 goes beyond mere visual aesthetics, serving as a profound testament to BMW’s focus on human-centered technology. The art car delves into the possibilities of AI as a tool to unleash creative expression to complement handmade artisanship. ‘BMW has been at the forefront of innovative technology and design to create cutting-edge automobiles. With ‘The Electric AI Canvas,’ virtual and physical worlds collide, and the connection between human senses and artificial intelligence as a tool to create new artworks can be experienced,’ says Paul de Courtois, President & CEO BMW (Switzerland) inc.

The BMW 5 Series, now with the BMW 100% fully electric i5 variant, embodies a seamless blend of sporty look, and advanced connectivity features. Art Basel, a prestigious international art exhibition, is a suitable home for BMW to showcase ‘The Electric AI Canvas’ as it aims to showcase a collection of artworks spanning various mediums. From traditional paintings, sculptures, and photography to innovative digital creations, Art Basel presents a diverse range of artistic expressions. The exhibition features works by both trailblazing modern artists from the early 20th century and contemporary practitioners. 

EM-MM1230, Eric N. Mack, original artwork for The Electric AI Canvas

Direction #64, Kohei Nawa, original artwork for The Electric AI Canvas

Bin Woo Hyuk

Sanctuary 100, 2021, Bin Woo Hyuk, original artwork for The Electric AI Canvas

Koo Jiyoon

Face-Scape, 2019, Koo Jiyoon, original artwork for The Electric AI Canvas

image © designboom

image © designboom

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Koo Jiyoon

Koehi NAwa

Esther Mahlangu

Eric N. Mack

Bin Woo Hyuk

project info:

name: The Electric AI Canvas

car: BMW i5 electric sedan

artists: Esther Mahlangu, Kohei Nawa, Eric N. Mack, Koo Jiyoon and Bin Woo Hyuk

brand: BMW

event: Art Basel 2023

location: MCH Swiss Exhibition (Basel) Ltd. Messeplatz 10, Basel, Switzerland

dates: June 12th to 18th, 2023