Mercedes-Benz and Virgil Abloh Unveils Their G-Class Art Piece

The aim of the art project is to inspire creatives from all the parts of the world.

Mercedes-Benz has partnered with popular American designer Virgil Abloh to create a unique G-class art piece that will be used for raising money for a charity which supports international creative communities. After designing this custom luxury vehicle, the big G has taken on a toy-like look. The aim of the art project is to inspire creatives from all the parts of the world.

 

The project of Mercedes-Benz and Virgil Abloh is known as Project Geländewagen. As a part of the project, a contemporary design piece was crafted. The result is a cross between a sneaker and a Hot Wheels car which seeks to demonstrate the iconic shape of the G-class. It is somewhat of a simplified and stripped representation of luxury. One look at it and you will understand that art can be quite deep.

 

The interior of the art piece by Abloh and Mercedes-Benz has an extremely basic form. It has handles, and the superfluous trim is removed. All the elements of the interior are finished in the same gloss white paint. This G-Class Wagon also features slick balloon tyres with white Monoblock rims that offer a cartoonish design. The window glass is mostly replaced with stockcar-like netting. The headlines have a crossed tape which makes you think of either historic motorsport or the popular crossed eyes motif that was used by KAWS, the graffiti artist and designer most people know of.

 

Inside this unique collaboration art work of Abloh and Mercedes-Benz, everything has been stripped back to the bare painted metal of the G and is replaced with a roll cage in pastel blue colour that contrasts against flashes of red. It also has a simplified dashboard. As all the running hardware looks to be in place, it looks like a 430KV twin-turbo V8 sculpture.

 

Have a look at the image gallery of the Mercedes Benz and Virgil Abloh collaboration below:

 

Sharing his opinion, Gordon Wagner, the Chief Design Officer from Mercedes-Benz for the project said “With Project Geländewagen, we create a unique artwork that showcases future interpretations of luxury and the desire for beauty and the extraordinary. The result is something between reality and the future.”

 

Virgil Abloh, who is the Men’s Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton at the moment talked about the project too. He said “One of my personal rules — or ‘cheat notes’ as I like to call them — is the rule of three. To me, an existing object needs to be altered by only 3 per cent to become something new, to evoke a new or different emotion, to be perceived differently by the world. I carry this with me in everything I do.”

 

He added “Collaboration is when two people, groups, brands, ideologies, come together with two different languages to create a new one. Mercedes-Benz is a brand that stands for luxury and exceptional performance. There’s a history to the brand and the effects it has had on culture that just can’t be denied.”

 

A replica of Project Geländewagen by Virgil Abloh and Mercedes-Benz will be auctioned as part of Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated collection. The bidding will be available from September 14, 2020.