BERLIN.- As part of the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Arts Programme, a new installation by Brazilian artist Ana Maria Tavares has been presented in the BMW Haus am Kurfürstendamm, Berlin. Her work Deviating Utopias (from the Social Hieroglyphs series) was unveiled on Thursday 30 April 2015, incorporating Berlin Gallery Weekend (1-3 May), closing on Monday 11 May. The work continues the artist’s exploration of the relationship between art, architecture and design, and the architectural legacy of modernism in Brazil. Tavares presents an installation which creates a virtual environment, depicting a blend of technology and craftsmanship, industrial and organic materials and speed and silence, properties she found present in Rolls-Royce motor cars, following a visit to the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex, England.

Tavares’ new work links the art and architecture as well as the engineering and nature of Brazil and England. The works of English architect and gardener Sir Joseph Paxton (1803-1865), Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012) and Brazilian landscape designer and artist Roberto Burle Marx (1909-1994) are analysed, exploring the lasting impact they have had on their disciplines.

Peter-Paul Schoppmann, Regional Director Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Germany commented, “Ana Maria Tavares expands the impressive line-up of artists featured in the Rolls-Royce Art Programme. Ana’s exploration of the legacy of both British and Brazilian architects, combined with her interest in materials, processes and the use of technology and craftsmanship presents a thrilling digital installation, reflective of the materials and techniques used to create the pinnacle in automotive super-luxury.”

Ana Maria Tavares said, “During my recent visit to the Rolls-Royce plant, with its extraordinary architecture, I was struck by the way it has a productive function while being like a capsule which suspends time. These elements inspired me to present a new work for Rolls-Royce as a virtual immersive environment, creating a mechanical capsule for a dream journey to bridge the rational and organic worldviews.”

Tavares’ new commission is an installation with three distinctive parts, taking over the main atrium of the BMW Haus am Kurfürstendamm. A large projected video, Deviating Utopias (from the Social Hieroglyphs series) digitally recreates one of architect Oscar Niemeyer’s most recognised buildings Pavilhão Lucas Nogueira Gercez in São Paulo, creating a fractured and amplified architectural view of the modernist landmark. Her second piece, Desire, Deserve, Delight Mantra is being reflected on nine curved panels in the centre of the space with the words: “Idesire, Ideserve, Idelight”. Deviant Topographies from Paxton to Burle Marx II (from the Social Hieroglyphs series), consists of three tables with printed images from the video Deviating Utopias and includes hand-crafted Victorias Regias – the largest of the Nymphaeaceae family of water lilies, an allusion to the architects Burle Marx and Paxton’s interest in tropical flora and the way nature has played an important role in the construction of the modern world.

The work is the latest installation created as part of the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Art Programme, which draws together the hand-crafted elegance of Rolls-Royce motor cars with contemporary artists around the world. Internationally acclaimed artists including; Isaac Julien, Ugo Rondinone, Erwin Wurm, Regina Silveira, Will Cotton, Angela Bulloch and Morgan Wong have featured in the programme.