Pintor’s F1 cars go to Singapore

Stevie Emilia ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 09/10/2009 10:22 AM  |  Arts & Design

Democracy by Pintor Sirait. Courtesy of Pintor Sirait

Singaporeans and tourists will feel an adrenaline rush — and switch gears — this GP season with a unique Formula One-inspired experience off the racetrack.

From Sept. 18 to 27, Asian-based auction house Larasati will recreate the racing experience with Singapore’s first F1 art exhibition, titled “Pintor’s F1 at ION Orchard”, at the newest mall on Orchard Road, the city state’s main shopping district.

The exhibition will feature eight stainless steel sculptures of the race cars, including life-sized replicas, by renowned Indonesian sculptor Pintor Sirait.

Sculptures of racing jackets and helmets will also be on display, along with videos of the making of this F1 art collection, to complete the urban race experience.

Known for his thought-provoking steel sculptures, Pintor has carved his way to becoming a distinguished sculptor, going from one exhibition to another, including in the Netherlands, China, France, Korea, Malaysia and the United States.

He was also the creator of the iconic 9-meter-high monument at the first World Ocean Conference/Coral Triangle Initiative in Manado, North Sulawesi in May this year.

Pintor said he turned to the heart-pumping racetrack action for inspiration after learning how hooked people get to the adrenaline rush of high-tech, gravity-defying cars traveling at bullet speed, and the excitement of the intense F1 racing competition.

“In recent years, F1 has become a global phenomenon. Contemporary art often mirrors developments in pop culture,” he said.

“I was inspired to make sculptures of the popular F1 cars to first capture attention and then use these works as a platform to highlight the cultural tensions and universal human values we all face today.”

The artist experienced a significant change in his artwork after a series of disastrous events, including the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York and the Bali bombings.

Victory by Pintor Sirait. Courtesy of Pintor Sirait

Whereas previously his work focused on aesthetics and beauty, it became influenced by harsh reality including violence and ugliness.

Since then, he has incorporated a violent element in some of his works, as shown in one of his Formula 1 car sculptures Desire, which is about the love for F1 and race cars as objects of desire and the artist’s passion for fine design and fine art. It will be one of the works on display in Singapore exhibition.

The mottled front bonnet of the 300-kilogram Desire is riddled with 600 holes — the effect made by shooting at the car with a .38 caliber Colt revolver.

In another sculpture, Democracy, the artist critically observes the world we live in and forces us to examine the difference between good and bad.  This “fight” is powerfully portrayed by the 1,500 bullet holes shot into the car.

Victory was crushed and then restored to symbolize Lewis Hamilton’s car crash and eventual victory in the 2007 race.

It will be shown alongside a video installation featuring the artist’s inspiration, including the accident experienced by Hamilton before he won the F1 race in Germany in 2007.

Playboy and Target portray the macho side of the F1 race and a playful take on the conventional ideal that “fast cars and fancy women” tend to go together.

CEO of Larasati Auctioneers Daniel Komala explained that in the past few years, Larasati had been actively promoting the education and appreciation of Asian and Southeast Asian art.

“This is part of our ongoing efforts to reach out to more Singaporeans and visitors to learn more about art sculptures, a rare chance to meet with the artist, chat with him, and at the same time have fun this race season.”

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