Mire Lee to Create New Artwork for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall

Over the past ten years, Tate Modern has partnered with Hyundai Motor to bring innovation and research to contemporary art. What started as support for acquiring nine works by the renowned South Korean artist Nam June Paik soon became a long-lasting partnership between the museum and the South Korean company.

So much so that in 2019, Hyundai and Tate’s alliance gave birth to the Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational, which fosters deeper connections between Tate and artists, curators, scholars, and organizations on a global scale.

Among the initiatives promoted by this collaboration, the Hyundai Commission is the most groundbreaking and popular. Since 2015, the Commission has been transforming Tate’s Turbine Hall into a location for spectacular site-specific installations. It’s given millions of visitors each year a unique chance to engage with the work of some of the most prominent contemporary artists.

In the past, the Turbine Hall has hosted an impressive array of contemporary masters, including Abraham Cruzvillegas, Philippe Parreno, Cecilia Vicuña, SUPERFLEX, Tania Bruguera, and Kara Walker. Their works have garnered immense praise and public interaction, solidifying the Hyundai Commission series as a highlight in Tate Modern’s annual calendar.

2024 Hyundai Commission

For 2024, the Hyundai Commission chose Mire Lee and her kinetic sculptures to be presented inside the London museum. Lee’s upcoming site-specific work for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall promises to be a groundbreaking exploration of space, form, and sensory experience. Scheduled to be open to the public from October 8, 2024, to March 16, 2025, this installation marks Lee’s first major presentation in the UK, offering audiences a unique opportunity to engage with her provocative sculptures firsthand.

As Tate Modern redefines contemporary art for global audiences, Mire Lee’s selection brings fresh anticipation and excitement to the London art scene. It promises to be a landmark event for 2024, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in a world of sensory exploration and artistic innovation.

About Mire Lee

Known for her kinetic sculptures that blend organic forms with industrial elements, Lee’s work challenges traditional notions of materiality and form. Her sculptures, often constructed from industrial materials like steel rods, cement, silicone, oil, and clay, evoke a sense of tension between softness and rigidity. They invite viewers to explore the intersections of nature and technology, almost resembling living organisms combined with machine parts.

Born in South Korea in 1988 and based between Amsterdam and Seoul, Lee’s artistic journey has captivated audiences worldwide. She has a sculpture and media art background and received her BA and MA from the Seoul National University College of Fine Arts.

She has exhibited her work internationally in renowned institutions such as the New Museum (New York, USA), the Biennale di Venezia (Venice, Italy), Busan Biennale (Busan, South Korea), Kunstverein Freiburg (Freiburg, Germany), Antenna Space (Shanghai, China), and the 15th Biennale de Lyon (Lyon, France), to name a few.

Her installations, characterized by oozing liquids and unsettling mechanized movements, create immersive environments that provoke introspection on themes of emotion and human desire. Mire Lee’s ability to transform spaces with her multi-sensory installations aligns perfectly with Tate Modern’s commitment to pushing artistic boundaries and challenging conventional perspectives.