RACING CARS – THE ART DIMENSION

The famous art museum ARoS in Aarhus presented a world premiere of the unique meeting between art and racing cars. Renowned Danish visual artist Ingvar Cronhammar was responsible for the artistic installation of the full-blood racers in “Racing Cars – The Art Dimension”.

The exhibition aims to give the audience an experience of the dynamics and strength latent in the form language of these cars. By regarding racing cars not just as functional items, but also as pure form – as sculpture on wheels – the exhibition creates a symbiosis between two widely differing worlds: between the ultimate motor sport, and art.

In a ground-breaking presentation, guests are introduced to a unique universe. The walls have been painted black; the floor covered by reflecting steel plates; the gallery columns have become red, metallic pistons, and the lights have been turned into giant piston rings.

The racing cars are presented on steel podiums in an installation of light, sound and moving images. On the black walls hang reliefs showing the contours of the world’s Formula 1 racetracks, while the big screens in the exhibition rooms show sequences from races, relating the exhibition to the reality for which the cars were created. The film sequences also give an impression of the power that is built into these cars.

Ricken was asked for a solution on how to cover the many pillars in the building and make them look like gigant shinny metallic pistons. After several meetings, test and samples – the choice fell on a solution where each pistons was handmade in glasfiber as 2 parts – each 10 meter high. After several coats of primer each part was painted racing red and finally varnished for a shinny look.

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