Check Engine Light - NYC
Joshua Vides turns Morton Street Partners into surreal mechanic's workshop
If you’re in NYC, Joshua Vides has brought his 'Check Engine Light' exhibition to the city, converting the Morton Street Partners garage in the West Village into a striking high-contrast installation that looks rather like a living cartoon.
Following the success of its Los Angeles debut, this NYC iteration sees him deepening his exploration of car culture and consumer aspiration, all rendered in his now-iconic black-and-white sketch style. Fancy a garage where everything, from foam tyres to racing hoods and acrylic tools, appears to have jumped straight from the pages of a colouring book? That's precisely what Vides has created.
The centrepiece of the exhibition is a fully customised limousine, transformed into a three-dimensional drawing that challenges visitors' perception of reality. It's a brilliant example of how he continues to blur the boundaries between illustration and physical space, isn't it?
Produced in collaboration with Cart Dept and No More Rulers, the exhibition includes a limited-edition zine and print as part of the 'Capturing Creativity' series. Priced at $200 USD and limited to just 220 units, each signed print offers collectors a glimpse into Vides' creative process through studio ephemera, moodboards and production shots.
The exhibition's programming included a live conversation between him and Haze, moderated by multidisciplinary creative Set Free, further cementing the show's connection to both automotive and street art cultures.
For those familiar with his previous work transforming everyday objects into bold black-and-white installations, 'Check Engine Light' represents a natural evolution of his distinctive aesthetic, now applied to the tools, spaces and iconography of automotive culture.
Morton Street Partners
16 Morton St Garage
New York, NY 10014
Inspiration by Mark, see the link