Lexus UX Art Car Competition Showcases Automotive Inspiration
Winning duo used vivid color and prolific texture to bring out the vehicle lines and style of the UX.
A colorful and detailed artwork that evokes the shimmering quality of a fish’s scales has earned the Spanish art duo Antoñito and Manolín first prize in the Lexus UX Art Car competition. Their success with “Gyorin Kozane” (translated to “Armour of Scales”) was announced at the climax of the Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille, where Lexus celebrated its 30th anniversary.
The eye-catching creation proved hugely popular with thousands of visitors to the event, one of Europe’s leading festivals of luxury motoring, arts and lifestyles, held in the grounds of the historic Château de Chantilly, near Paris. Guests cast a vote for their favorite submission among four finalists, each of whom created a distinctly different treatment of Lexus’ new UX compact crossover.
Antoñito and Manolín comprised of artists Trini Salamanca and Pablo Parraga, covered the UX with a red and blue organic mesh representing the skin of a fish, a motif that is frequently found in Japanese art and culture.
The colorful wrap is a three-dimensional structure made from a bio-epoxy material, superimposed on the car’s bodywork like a canvas. The convergence of contrasting qualities is in the same spirit as the engawa concept the UX designers applied to create a seamless connection between the inside and outside of the vehicle.
Second place went to the French art collective Leitmotiv, who created their work live at Chantilly.
As the overall winners, Antoñito and Manolín will be hosted as Lexus guests at the 2020 Milan Design Week, one of the world’s principal design showcases where Lexus has had a major presence since 2005.
“We are delighted that the UX proved such an inspiration to these talented artists and gave them the opportunity to express their responses to the car and to Lexus with such creative originality,” Pascal Ruch, Head of Lexus Europe, said. “Brave design is one of the pillars of Lexus and this competition is another example of how we are reaching beyond the world of motoring as a luxury brand to nurture emerging, vibrant creative talent.”
Arts & Elegance Richard Mille hosted an appearance of the svelte Lexus LC Convertible Concept, a study for a new open-top version of the LC coupe. Its elegant appearance was complemented by a model who accompanied the car, dressed in an outfit designed by the famous Paris couture house Rochas.
Lexus also presented the European premiere of the new, revised RX luxury SUV at Chantilly, a model that will go on sale across Europe later this year.
Photos: Lexus
