Prayers to Fornax: Science, Technology, and Spirituality

Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing presents Prayers to Fornax: Science, Technology, and Spirituality, the first exhibition of Hyundai Blue Prize+ 2025, on view from July 18 through December 13, 2026. Curated by Yifeng Wei & Penny Dan Xu, one of the two final awardee collectives of Hyundai Blue Prize+ 2025, the exhibition brings together eight international artists and collectives, inviting audiences to consider the intersection of rational inquiry, technological systems and spiritual imagination.

Prayers to Fornax: Science, Technology, and Spirituality invites audiences into a ritual of bridging the realms of rationality and spirituality. Fornax, meaning “laboratory stove” or “furnace,” is a constellation in the southern hemisphere named by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1756. Its scientific naming marked a historical shift toward a new ordering of the sky, one shaped as much by belief and imagination as by observation. This exhibition explores this intersection of rational inquiry and esoteric belief.

The exhibition is structured around three interrelated lines of inquiry: searching for meaning that lies beyond the reach of science, through June Balthazard and Pierre Pauze’s Mass (2020) and Chen Zhe’s Celestial-cranial Instrument series (2022-2023); uncovering knowledge buried in the land, through Natasha Tontey’s Of Other Tomorrows Never Known (2023) and Riar Rizaldi’s Tellurian Drama (2020); and scanning the cosmos for signs, through Zach Blas’s Metric Mysticism: A Troll’s Tale (2022), Nolan Oswald Dennis’s Black Liberation Zodiac: Whale-mouth Solidarities (2026), Haroon Mirza’s Cymatic Ceremony (2024), and Suzanne Treister’s HEXEN 5.0 (2023-2025), examining whether shamanism, folklore, and mysticism might offer new ways of perceiving, opening onto a broader constellation of understanding the world we inhabit.

“We are thrilled to present this exhibition, which invites audiences into a transformative experience that bridges different forms of knowledge. Moving between science and spirituality, the exhibition searches for futures that no single worldview can see alone.” said curators Yifeng Wei & Penny Dan Xu.

Hyundai Blue Prize+, an initiative led by Hyundai Motor Company, serves as a laboratory for the evolving role of curators, encouraging exploration of pressing contemporary issues through the diverse contexts of Asia. Building on Hyundai Blue Prize Art + Tech in China and Hyundai Blue Prize Design in Korea, the initiative evolved into Hyundai Blue Prize+ in 2025, expanding its scope to foster interdisciplinary research and transcultural conversations. The Hyundai Blue Prize+ 2025 open call received more than 160 exhibition proposals, from which two curatorial collectives were selected as final awardees.

“We are delighted to present Hyundai Blue Prize+, a newly evolved iteration of the Hyundai Blue Prize, through its inaugural exhibition at Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing. Bringing together science, technology, and spirituality, the exhibition, curated by Yifeng Wei and Penny Dan Xu, invites audiences to encounter new perspectives and reflect on how technology shapes the world we inhabit,” said DooEun Choi, Art Director of Hyundai Motor Company.

Throughout the exhibition, Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing will host a series of public programs, including artist talks and hands-on workshops, extending the exhibition’s themes through dialogue and participation.

Exhibition Information
Prayers to Fornax: Science, Technology, and Spirituality / Duration: July 18–December 13, 2026 / Venue: Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing, E-1, 798 Art Zone, 4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing / Curators: Yifeng Wei & Penny Dan Xu.

Participating artists: June Balthazard and Pierre Pauze, Zach Blas, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Haroon Mirza, Riar Rizaldi, Natasha Tontey, Suzanne Treister, Chen Zhe.