The BMW 745Le M Sport hybrid is the car. Gabriel Wickbold is the artist. Lucio Cunha is the photographer and videographer. Together, the three collaborated to present BMW’s first art car of the 2020s, a decade that will define automobiles by their technological capabilities. The new project is currently on display at a shopping center in São Paulo, Brazil, where Wickbold is based.
In 2019, BMW began working with Brazilian artist Wickbold to create the design aesthetic on the brand’s concept store on Avenue George V in Paris, France. The exhibition featured numerous works from Wickbold’s catalogue, including his projects known as Sexual Colors, I am Light, I_AM_ON_LINE, and Naïve. The store was just the start of a partnership that has now birthed an art car. Wickbold blends the lines between photography and art to explore various issues and complexities of our society and human nature. His art car incorporates elements from I am Light, in particular, which is described as such on his portfolio page:
Hoping to help viewers understand that happiness comes from within, Wickbold makes an invitation to look at himself and seek the understanding that all we really need is within ourselves. His fifth authorial exhibition mixes photographic techniques with the already traditional construction of human installations, made through the painting of models and applications of various elements, such as glitter. The result is explosions of light emanating from the models. “When we connect deeply with our vital energy, we realize that we are a great universe of possibilities. This motivated me to research various techniques to represent this spiritual enlightenment”, says the artist.
While a car does not have the intricate depth of a person, it does harness character that is not obvious from an onlooker’s perspective, and in a way, automobiles represent potential.
“The idea of using technology to inspire and create, like BMW did with the 7 Series hybrid plug-in, is similar to my artistic creation process,” Wickbold said in a roughly translated Instagram caption. “For this reason, we chose a work that had movement and that referred to the speed, sophistication and technology of the BMW 7 Series.”
On the 7 Series, streaky lines of bright color burst from the top, front part of the car and carry down to the ground and back to the rear. Intentional or not, it seems the energy is erupting from the hood-slash-engine bay. Every picture in the photo gallery is taken from one general angle, but the use of fog machines, exterior lighting, as well as the car’s lighting, give each photo a slightly different look. The design was first digitally created with a computer and printed as a wrap.
For those in Brazil, the car will be on display throughout the month in the Shopping Cidade Jardim in São Paulo.
View this post on InstagramA combinação perfeita entre mobilidade e arte, o #The7 by @gabrielwickbold traz um conceito de tecnologia que traduz exatamente a sofisticação, luxo e conectividade do BMW Série 7. Conheça essa obra de arte na nossa Pop Up Store do Shopping Cidade Jardim. Vídeo: @luciocunha #BMWi #GabrielWickbold
View this post on InstagramAquele presente de natal ❤️ www.gwbooks.com.br
View this post on InstagramUm dos projetos mais incríveis que já participei! A ideia de usar tecnologia para inspirar e criar, como a @bmwdobrasil fez o Série 7 híbrido plug-in, é similar ao meu processo artístico de criação. Por isso, escolhemos um trabalho que tivesse movimento, que remetesse à velocidade, sofisticação e à tecnologia do BMW Série 7. #the7bygabrielwickbold foto: @luciocunha
View this post on InstagramQue honra! Sem palavras para descrever esse momento! GABRIEL WICKBOLD EXPÕE OBRAS NA CONCEPT STORE DA BMW EM PARIS Homenageado pela montadora alemã, o fotógrafo expõe obras de suas séries I am Light, Naïve, I am online e Sexual Colors em evento de abertura da Paris Photo, a maior feira de fotografia do planeta Para coroar esse ano maravilhoso, Gabriel Wickbold ainda lançou seu primeiro livro, uma retrospectiva de sua trajetória como artista, e firmou uma parceria com a BMW amparada em três pilares: tecnologia, inovação e arte – uma aliança que promete refletir um Brasil que dá certo. SERVIÇO * Exposição Gabriel Wickbold * BMW Concept Store / 38 Avenue George V, 75008, Paris, França * Dia 07 de novembro 19hs *Gratuito e aberto ao público
