Berlin. Internationally renowned painter and sculptor
Thomas Scheibitz redesigned the BMW i8 of his long-time close friend
Bernd Heusinger based on their continuous exchange. His work was not
commissioned by BMW nor is it part of the BMW Art Car series – instead
it is an independent experiment in form and colour. The resulting
automobile sculpture was first presented to the public on May 18 at
Scheibitz’ Berlin studio.
Born in 1968 in Radeberg near the city of Dresden, the artist regards
the surfaces and colour schemes of his sculptures as of vital
importance. He believes that line, contour and volume “must exist as
part of the known entities of the physical world”. For him, industrial
design represents a major antagonist and a source of inspiration
alike. Scheibitz understands sports cars as designed sculptures, as
dynamic results of a synthesis of technology and creativity.
Asked about his experimental automobile sculpture “Scheibitz x
Haysinger”, Thomas Scheibitz said, “Radical content is a question of
form. Traditional sculptural concerns such as visual perspectives,
detailed imagery, spatial perspectives, qualities of reliefs, symmetry
as well as dissolved symmetry and illusion were the starting points
for my design of a body of a modern vehicle.”
Thomas Scheibitz is known for creating new associations by playing
with set pieces and various references in his often brightly coloured
paintings and sculptures. The colour schemes he applied to the design
of the BMW i8 in the manner of stylistic elements create a category of
images that fit seamlessly into the open oeuvre of the artist. In
addition, Scheibitz used the dynamic flow of the lines to play with
the futuristic surface area of the body. The artist develops this idea
even further by creating a visual dialogue between the innovative
carbon structure of the vehicle and the texture of traditional canvas.
“Greatest possible precision coupled with greatest possible openness,”
he once commented on his oeuvre, and this tenet holds equally true for
the design of his automobile sculpture.
Originally, the ideas regarding an automobile sculpture were based on
a small-scale painting created by Thomas Scheibitz in 2017. Scanned
and enlarged fragments of this painting can now be seen in various
contexts on the surface of the BMW i8.
In the tradition of his creative process of research and layering,
Scheibitz has been focussing on the design of the hybrid sports car
for a number of years. In 2016, he created “Holy Motors”, a tubular
sculpture painted in multicoloured vinyl paints exhibited in the rear
window of a BMW i8. The work was yet another result of the friendship
with Bernd Heusinger, author, director and founder of the agency “Zum
goldenen Hirschen” and CEO of Hirschen Group.
For Thomas Scheibitz, who was made Professor of Painting at the
Academy of Fine Arts Düsseldorf in 2018, the creative aspects of
painting and sculpture are of equal importance. Following a solo
exhibition at Kunstmuseum Bonn, Scheibitz presented numerous paintings
and sculptures in 2018 as part of “The Hunter in the Snow” shown by
the artist’s gallery Sprüth Magers in Los Angeles. From September 11,
2019, to January 31, 2020, the Nationalgalerie der Staatlichen Museen
zu Berlin will host “Picasso/Scheibitz”, a special exhibition at the
Berggruen Museum presenting over 40 works of each artist.
For further information about Thomas Scheibitz and Bernd Heusinger,
please visit:
Thomas Scheibitz
www.thomasscheibitz.de;
www.spruethmagers.com/artists/thomas_scheibitz
Bernd Heusinger
www.twitter.com/berndheusinger,
www.hirschen-group.com
To download high-res image material and video footage, please visit
the BMW PressClub and search for “Thomas Scheibitz”:
www.press.bmwgroup.com
Product information:
BMW i8 Coupe: fuel consumption combined 1.8 l/100 km [156.9 mpg imp],
electric power consumption combined 14.0 kWh/100 km, CO2 emissions
combined 42 g/km