Genesis brings its art patronage to the heart of Manhattan
Beijing-based artist Liu Wei unveiled four two-ton hand sculptures on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s facade as part of the Genesis Facade Commission's signature series with the museum.
Sculptures by Liu Wei are seen on the facade of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on Oct. 2, as part of the Genesis Facade Commission.SARAH CHEA
NEW YORK — In the heart of bustling Manhattan, four sculptures, each weighing two tons and centered on the form of a human hand, now stand quietly in the niches of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's facade.
"The Genesis Facade Commission: Liu Wei, Speculation," presented by Genesis in partnership with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is seen on the museum's façade in New York on Oct. 2.HYUNDAI MOTOR
"The Genesis Facade Commission: Liu Wei, Speculation," presented by Genesis in partnership with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is seen on the museum's façade in New York on Oct. 2.HYUNDAI MOTOR
Set to weather New York's unpredictable skies and changing seasons, the sculptures are the work of Beijing-based artist Liu Wei, and were created as part of the Genesis Facade Commission, the Met's signature contemporary art series inviting a different artist each year to create a large-scale installation for the museum's exterior.
Genesis, the luxury brand of Hyundai Motor, began a five-year partnership with the Met in 2024 to support the program. Korean artist Lee Bul was the first to be featured, that year, followed by the American artist Jeffrey Gibson in 2025.
Wei’s latest “Speculation” takes fragmentation, transformation and regeneration as its themes, tracing a cycle of dismantling and repair.
Working in composite fiberglass, steel, aluminum alloy, polyurethane paint and cowhide, Wei combines forms that suggest architectural fragments and parts of the body into what appear to be loosely connected assemblages of objects.
The hand has long been a recurring motif in his work, one layered with artistic, cultural and symbolic meaning. Here it serves as a bridge between the familiar and the fantastical.
“The sculptures are framed by structural columns that constrain their width, and they must interact not only with the building but with the surrounding city,” said Leslie Ma, a curator in the Modern and Contemporary Department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“While Liu Wei is primarily known for abstract, geometric, and architectural forms, he intentionally incorporated the human hand here to create an immediate point of connection for the public viewing the works from the street.”
Wei’s exhibition, which opened Sept. 17, runs until June 8 of next year. When the exhibition closes, the Met, as the commissioning institution, will hold the right of first acquisition.
Genesis also backs a public conservation series called “The Genesis Talks” in partnership with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Hyundai also signed a 10-year partnership with the Whitney Museum of American Art in 2024, sponsoring the Whitney Biennial and presenting the Hyundai Terrace Commission, an annual installation on the museum's outdoor terraces.
“Beyond New York, Hyundai has extended its partnership with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, begun in 2015, through 2037, and maintains a long-term relationship with Tate in Britain,” Hyundai said in a statement. “Such projects are meant to give more people the chance to experience art and to reflect together on the challenges facing contemporary society.”
