Hyundai Motor to Present 'Tarek Atoui' Exhibition at Tate Modern in UK

Large-Scale Textile and Sound Installation in the Turbine Hall
Sonic Landscape Combining Korean Drums and Wind Instruments
Partnership Extended Through 2036

Hyundai Motor is partnering with Tate in the United Kingdom to present its eleventh major cultural project at a global hub for contemporary art.

Hyundai Commission: Tarek Atoui: "Hold" exhibition view. Photo by Tate (Ben Fisher)

Hyundai Motor announced on October 13 that the exhibition "Hyundai Commission: Tarek Atoui: Hold" will be held at Tate Modern from October 13, 2026, to April 11, 2027, local time.

Hyundai Commission is an annual exhibition project held under a long-term partnership signed by Hyundai Motor and Tate in 2014. To make art more accessible to the public, it has presented innovative works in the Turbine Hall, Tate Modern's iconic large-scale exhibition space. Following Abraham Cruzvillegas in 2015, as well as Philippe Parreno, Kara Walker, Anicka Yi, and Mire Lee, Tarek Atoui is the eleventh artist to take part this year.

Tarek Atoui is an artist and composer born in Beirut, Lebanon, and currently based in Paris, France. Drawing on research into traditional instruments and music from around the world, he makes instruments and presents installations and performance art that let audiences experience sound with their whole bodies. For this exhibition, he has created a "Sonic Landscape" encompassing hearing, sight, and touch, focusing on the Turbine Hall's high ceiling, sense of space, and resonant acoustics.

The exhibition draws on the artist's memories of places of respite, including vine-covered canopies and courtyards. Stones resembling stone percussion instruments are arranged so visitors can sit or lie down and experience the sounds in the space. Incorporating more than 20 years of research conducted in collaboration with musicians and engineers from Asia and Europe, the artist has combined traditional Korean drums, the sheng, a traditional wind instrument from China and Southeast Asia, and the karnai, a brass instrument from Uzbekistan, with electronic sound devices.

The exhibition features karnai and trumpet sculptures, bamboo structures, drumheads, gongs, and a large 20-meter-long textile. Coated with conductive paint, the textile sways with changes in airflow and humidity, transmitting minute electric currents to produce deep bass tones. Spatial microphones capture ambient sounds and replay them in real time as part of the work's soundscape. Live performances featuring musicians and electronic music composers will also be held regularly during the exhibition. The exhibition is curated by Nabila Abdel Nabi, Senior Curator at Tate Modern, and curator Dina Ahmadjieva.

Hyundai Commission: Tarek Atoui: Hold> exhibition view. Photo: Tate (Yili Liu)

A Hyundai Motor representative said, "Hyundai Commission: Tarek Atoui: Hold connects different cultures and communities through sound. Tarek Atoui's work, grounded in collaboration and multisensory experiences, opens up possibilities for meaningful exchange and new conversations about the present."

Hyundai Motor has extended its partnership with Tate through 2036, supporting the development of contemporary art. It also supports the Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational, fostering academic exchange among researchers worldwide and research into global art history.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.