Genesis facade commission at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Beijing-based Liu Wei shows four large-scale sculptures
Hyundai Motor expands New York-based art partnerships
Four monumental sculptures now greet tourists on the facade of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The two central works stand 5 meters tall, while the two flanking pieces reach 3.5 meters — each incorporating forms that evoke the human hand, inviting visitors to let their imaginations wander. Because a long queue forms before the museum opens, the sculptures are the first works most tourists encounter.
The installation is part of "The Genesis Facade Commission: Liu Wei, Speculation," sponsored by Genesis. The program places large-scale commissioned works by a newly selected artist on the museum's front facade each year. Genesis entered a five-year partnership with the Metropolitan in 2024 as part of its broader global art partnership expansion in New York.
"The Genesis Facade Commission is the first exhibition visitors encounter at the Met, and it represents the museum's deep commitment to contemporary art and living artists," said Leslie Ma, curator of contemporary art at the Metropolitan. "The museum's front exterior wall makes clear that the Met is not confined to the past — it is looking at the present and the future alongside contemporary artists."
Genesis brings Liu Wei's sculptures to the Met facade
Following Lee Bul in 2024 and Jeffrey Gibson in 2025, the Met's facade this year features work by Beijing-based contemporary artist Liu Wei, whose pieces have been on display since Sept. 17. Genesis supports the production of the commissioned works, while the Metropolitan retains sole authority over artist selection.
Liu Wei has spent his career exploring contemporary life through photography, painting, video, sculpture and installation. For this exhibition, he presents four large-scale sculptures on the themes of fragmentation, transformation and regeneration, combining composite fiberglass, steel, aluminum alloy, polyurethane paint and cowhide.
Each work takes its title from a fundamental constant in physics. Two pieces weighing about 2 tons each flank the museum's main entrance, while two more delicately formed works stand at the outer edges. The human hand — a recurring motif in Liu's practice — appears as a bridge between the familiar and the surreal, and the exhibition's subtitle, "Speculation," alludes to the uncertainty that accompanies an era of rapid change. The show runs through June 8 next year.
"The concept of speculation speaks to humanity's adventurous drive to keep innovating and connecting, even when perfect synthesis remains out of reach," Ma said. "The hand, which runs through all four works as a universal subject, catches the eye of passersby outside the museum and allows each person to form their own associations."
Genesis also sponsors the Seo Do-ho exhibition currently drawing large crowds at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. The brand additionally runs "The Genesis Talks" program with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and a range of other global art projects.
Hyundai Motor links New York and Ulsan through art, backs prominent US museum for 10 years
About 8 kilometers from the Metropolitan, the New Museum has been hosting "Hyundai Translocal Series: Ho Tzu Nyen" since Sept. 24, an exhibition sponsored by Hyundai Motor.
The "Hyundai Translocal Series," launched in 2025, is a Hyundai Motor partnership program in which domestic and international art institutions collaborate on joint research, new commissions and exhibitions. The New Museum in New York and the Ulsan Art Museum — the second pair of partner institutions — plan to co-organize three joint exhibitions, one per year through 2028.
The inaugural participating artist, Ho Tzu Nyen, has long explored Asian modernity and cultural identity through film, video, sound and multimedia installation. His new work at the New Museum, "P for Power: Up Down" (2026), is installed on the museum's glass elevator screens: when a visitor presses a button, a character appears and poses questions about power, with an algorithm generating a new narrative in real time on each ride.
A follow-up work, "P for Power: Double Life of P" (2026), will be unveiled at the Ulsan Art Museum on Oct. 22. The New Museum exhibition runs through Jan. 24 next year.
Hyundai Motor also signed a 10-year partnership with the Whitney Museum of American Art — founded in 1931 — in 2024. As an official sponsor of the museum's flagship "Whitney Biennial," the company will support five editions of the biennial from 2024 through 2032. It also runs the "Hyundai Terrace Commission," presenting new works in sculpture, performance and multimedia each year on the museum's fifth-floor outdoor terrace.
Beyond New York, Hyundai Motor extended its partnership with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art — in place since 2015 — through 2037, and maintains long-term partnerships with global institutions including Tate in the United Kingdom, presenting a range of art projects.
"Through these various partnerships, we will broaden our understanding of the diversity that artists bring to the world and contribute to building a sustainable future grounded in inclusivity," a Hyundai Motor official said.
eyre@heraldcorp.com
