At the inaugural Art Basel show in Hong Kong, Indonesian artist Ichwan Noor caused quite a stir with his Beetle Sphere, an eye-catching sculpture made from a 1953 Volkswagen Beetle that measures 180 x 180 x 180 cm (5.9 x 5.9x 5.9 ft).

According to the project description:

The idea emerged from a personal perception towards objects that are products of a “transportation culture”, which induces hints/signs of spiritual emotion. To behold a vehicle (car) is to have a “magical” (supernatural) identity. Sculptures represent the interaction between humans and the object realm, with strong spiritual tension that affects the subconscious, and that yields a new “animistic” attitude.
 
By combining the techniques of manipulation and substitution, the form of this sculpture tends toward realistic distortion, which allows new interpretations about the object (car), as a shift in perception that creates an associative meaning. The sculpture’s visual form yields an impression of a sphere – the basis of all forms. The shape of a car is pressed onto the spherical form, producing a dynamic movement, a certain flexibility, but also fragility. It is a concept of “totems” that is embraced/believed by the people of today.”

 

Noor was born in Jakarta on 5 May 1963. He studied at the Indonesian Art Institute, Yogyakarta and has great mastery in a variety of techniques needed to create such amazing three-dimensional sculptures and large-scale works.

[via My Modern Met]