Mercedes welcomes Warhol, Ai Wei Wei and refugees

Mercedes-Benz Australia boss Horst von Sanden has used his global boss’ words to put a political edge to the company’s latest sponsorship.

Mercedes Benz Australia (MBAu) is the major sponsor of the National Gallery Victoria’s (NGV) new exhibition, Andy Warhol / Ai Wei Wei.

At the official opening of the artwork, photographic and installation exhibition in Melbourne last night, boss von Sanden in-part reprised global Benz chief Dieter Zetsche’s Frankfurt motor show speech to define the prestige brand’s ‘position’ on a number of fronts Down Under.

Ai Wei Wei is one of China best known ‘dissident’ artists. MBAu’s sponsorship of the exhibition and the re-iteration of Zetsche’s sentiments was therefore seen by many as a subtle but clear message to a number of groups.

It also presented as more than a sideways glance at the corporate conduct of the Volkswagen Group in terms of the recent #Dieselgate scandal.

“Art by its very nature challenges us, it informs us and it represents the values of the society we all live in,” von Sanden stated.

“Companies with global operations have global responsibilities and central to this is collective understanding of right and wrong – regardless of the field we work in or the continent where we operate.

“Daimler is pledged to abide by and actively promote the principles of these Global Compacts in the areas of human rights, labor standards, environmental protection, and anti-corruption.

“Australia is a multicultural dynamic society and I would like to share with you a few words that our Chairman Dr Dieter Zetsche said at the recent Frankfurt Auto Show, at the height of Europe’s refugee influx in late 2014: ‘Some people believe that immigration endangers a country’s future perspectives. I’m convinced that the opposite is the case. Taking in more than 800,000 people who need our help is undoubtedly a herculean task for Germany. I believe that anybody who leaves behind their entire life is highly motivated to learn and to work here in order to build themselves a new life with us. These are exactly the sort of people we are looking for…’ ” von Sanden stated.

Mercedes-Benz has a strong connection to American pop-artist, Warhol. On the 100th anniversary of the “invention of the automobile”, parent company Daimler commissioned Warhol to create a series of 80 pictures document the history of the automobile.

Warhol used 20 selected Mercedes-Benz models, including the Daimler motor coach and the Benz patent motor wagon. In total 35 pictures and 12 large-format paintings were completed in 1986/87. They were therefore the last series produced by the artist, who died in February 1987.

Alas, for car fans, the series does not make up part of the NGV exhibition. The images are on display at Mercedes-Benz’s headquarters in Stuttgart but are also regularly exhibited at the Daimler Museum and loaned to other galleries.

Wei Wei and Warhol’s careers had many intersections. The Chinese artist and activist lived and worked in New York as a contemporary of Warhol. One of his biggest works, fashioned with around 1500 bicycles, serves as an entry piece to the NGV display.

The NGV exhibition opens to the public later this week.