Turbo Exhaust Manifold
Crankshaft
Part of the group show Crash curated by Flaviu Rogojan at Zina Galley in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, 2022.
"For Ballard*, the car crash is a trigger to delve into a new world where the body achieves pleasure only when encased within the sheet metal shell of the automobile, where crashes open up new shapes and orifices, and where the erotic status of the car reflects on the 20th century’s relationship with technology. Half a century later, cars still hold their power in shaping society and urban development, and the impact of technology in shaping our bodies is only increasing. In the gallery, recent works by five emerging artists offer glimpses of an accelerating world and its visceral effects. From power relationships that twist up in glossy metal and shiny rubber to car organs that are delicately dissected, high-horsepower engines can rev up to question political status quos. In cleaner garages, polished car paint becomes a mirror to reflect status and access, while comfortably designed ergonomics guide the body’s violent drives."
*main character from J.G. Ballard’s 1973 novel Crash, and later film adaptation by David Cronenberg.
"Another kind of need for speed excites the cultures of car tuning and custom engine parts that are illustrated in Thea Lazăr’s detailed hand-stitched tapestries. Resembling metallic intestines, the knotted tubes of an aftermarket turbo modification for the iconic BMW E30 twist and turn to make room to fit a turbocharger in the tight space of the engine bay. Besides more power and speed, such modifications also bring the drivers and tuners closer to the car, handling it with care, intimately knowing all its parts and insides, feeling the body of the car as a body of one’s own. Translating the precious shine of brand new custom auto parts, Thea Lazăr’s small scale textiles offer warm and delicate textures to organs that uncannily seem soft."
