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BMW African Art Car on Display in New York

German manufacturer BMW, together with South African artist Esther Mahlangu, will be taking a very special 1991 BMW 525i to the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York this week, in what will become an attempt to further strengthen the message sent by The Global Africa Project.

The car in question has been created as a means to showcase the traditional painting technique of the African Ndebele tribe. Esther Mahlangu is the perfect representative of the culture of this tribe, who leaves its women in charge with creating the Ndebele patterns. The work on the car to be presented by BMW lasted less than a week.

“Ndebele art has, in an entirely natural way, something slightly formal but very majestic about it; through my work I have added the idea of movement,” said Esther Mahlangu. “My art has evolved from our tribal tradition of decorating the home.”

The Global Africa Project will not be limited to the 1991 BMW designed by Mahlangu, but will include the work of no less than 100 artists from all over the world.

The project opens its doors on November 17 to a world of African-inspired furniture, architecture, textiles, fashion, jewelry, ceramics and basketry.

“The Global Africa Project charts important new territory in the field by actively looking beyond restrictions of traditional art historical groupings, including medium, geography, and artistic genre,” said Holly Hotchner, the museum Director.

As a side note, the art cars supported by BMW have grown in numbers over the year, now comprising no less than 17 such vehicles, designed artists like Jeff Koons.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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