The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles has unveiled its latest exhibition, featuring unusual ‘eroded’ car sculptures.
‘Arsham Auto Motive’ features the work of Daniel Arsham. It includes four life-size cars, made using materials that include selenite, quartz and even volcanic ash.
With inspiration from archaeology, history and pop culture, Arsham’s work presents the four cars as if they have been eroded both inside and out.
Iconic Porsches eroded
Arsham’s 1955 ‘Bonsai’ Porsche 356 Speedster has been influenced by the Japanese concept of appreciating beauty that is ‘imperfect and impermanent’.
It took Arsham two years to expose the Speedster’s raw metal bodywork, including welds and natural wear marks. Linseed oil was then used to preserve the metal from the elements. The interior is finished with upholstery made in Japan.
The stylish 356 Speedster remains fully usable, with the engine restored back to its original condition.
A second Porsche is another star of the show: the Eroded 911. This makes use of blue calcite stone, quartz, selenite and hydrostone. Arsham’s ‘fictional archaeology’ work is meant to show the Porsche 911 eroding, and undergoing a process of crystallisation.
Recreated and ruined
A Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder plays a central role in the 1986 movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. It also captured the attention of Arsham, who spent more than a year creating an eroded version from quartz.
Underneath is a vehicle created by the prop expert who built the replica Ferraris used in the film. Arsham then crafted 35 new body panels to give the impression of the Ferrari wearing away.
“Having previously exhibited Keith Haring and Andy Warhol’s work, it is evident that pop culture and the automotive sector make for an exciting, crowd-pleasing combination,” said the Petersen Automotive Museum’s executive director, Terry L. Karges.
“Daniel Arsham’s talent makes a strong case that cars can inspire artistic creations, while also serving as art pieces themselves.”
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