Internationally acclaimed artist, Zak Ové has unveiled his new public sculpture at the Smithson Plaza.

Standing at approximately 10-feet high, the ‘Autonomous Morris’ sculpture is the largest mask the artist has completed to date. The piece was commissioned by Tishman Speyer and is made from deconstructed and collaged vintage car parts welded together to produce a futuristic yet retro, cross-cultural totemic mask. The sculpture is a motorised ‘Macco’ – a person who involves themselves in other people’s business for the purpose of gossip and posterity.

Ové’s sculpture references his interest in the sculptural aspects of cars, using them to represent geographical movement, historical documentation, protection and nostalgia. The discarded car parts that make up the sculpture include several vintage Morris Minor bonnets, referencing the assumed British tradition of Morris dancing, which in reality came to the UK courtesy of the Moors. As an unwitting monument to the recent news that the last VW Beetle is to roll off the production line next year, the sculpture’s organic lines and animated filmic representations add to the cultural potency of the material.

Be sure to see the sculpture before early 2019.