hetain patel turns his old ford into a fiesta transformer

hetain patel turns his old ford into a fiesta transformer
‘fiesta transformer’, 2013
ford fiesta, steel, castor wheels
H250 x W200 x L300 cm
image courtesy the artist and chatterjee & lal
exhibition view, spheres 2013, at galleria continua / les moulins
photo by nicolas giraud

when british-indian artist hetain patel was gifted a 1988 ford fiesta as his first car when he turned 17, he likely could not have realized the influence it would have on his artistic career, particularly in the creation of his latest sculptural work. patel has taken a newly acquired vehicle, with the exact same specifications as his now-vintage original, and turned it into ‘fiesta transformer‘, a large-scale construction mimicking the robotic alien creatures from the widely recognizable film and toy franchise ‘transformers’. with the help of his father — whose appropriate occupation is the conversion of cars into hearses for funerals — the all red automobile is structurally reworked into a squatting, human-like figure. each and every facet of the form is recycled from the car’s parts: deconstructed doors are adapted into outwardly extending arms, engine pieces become biological joints, and the hood and headlights are remodelled into knees.

‘fiesta transformer’, 2013
ford fiesta, steel, castor wheels
H250 x W200 x L300 cm
image courtesy the artist and chatterjee & lal
exhibition view, spheres 2013, at galleria continua / les moulins
photo by nicolas giraud

the sculpture’s posture is a recurring visual throughout patel’s work and is a significant link between the idea of lower classes living in india, which sit comfortably in this position, and his immigrant family in the UK. the artwork lends itself to a conversation about cultural identity, challenging the boundaries between reality, fantasy, fixed identity and transformation. ‘fiesta transformer’ acts as a metaphor for the transcendence out of the hunched position into one of empowerment. the artwork is exhibited at galleria continua, le moulin for ‘spheres 6’ until december 22nd, 2013.

‘fiesta transformer’, 2013
ford fiesta, steel, castor wheels
H250 x W200 x L300 cm
image courtesy the artist and chatterjee & lal
exhibition view, spheres 2013, at galleria continua / les moulins
photo by nicolas giraud

‘fiesta transformer’, 2013
ford fiesta, steel, castor wheels
H250 x W200 x L300 cm
image courtesy the artist and chatterjee & lal
exhibition view, spheres 2013, at galleria continua / les moulins
photo by alicia luxem

‘fiesta transformer’, 2013
ford fiesta, steel, castor wheels
H250 x W200 x L300 cm
image courtesy the artist and chatterjee & lal
exhibition view, spheres 2013, at galleria continua / les moulins
photo by nicolas giraud

‘fiesta transformer’, 2013
ford fiesta, steel, castor wheels
H250 x W200 x L300 cm
image courtesy the artist and chatterjee & lal
exhibition view, spheres 2013, at galleria continua / les moulins
photo by nicolas giraud
 

‘fiesta transformer’, 2013
ford fiesta, steel, castor wheels
H250 x W200 x L300 cm
image courtesy the artist and chatterjee & lal
exhibition view, spheres 2013, at galleria continua / les moulins
photo by nicolas giraud
 

‘fiesta transformer’, 2013
ford fiesta, steel, castor wheels
H250 x W200 x L300 cm
image courtesy the artist and chatterjee & lal
exhibition view, spheres 2013, at galleria continua / les moulins
photo by nicolas giraud
 

‘fiesta transformer’, 2013
ford fiesta, steel, castor wheels
H250 x W200 x L300 cm
image courtesy the artist and chatterjee & lal
exhibition view, spheres 2013, at galleria continua / les moulins
photo by nicolas giraud