In the world of motorsport, Street-Art Racing is distinguished by its relationship with art. In 2023, the Belgian team presents its fifth Art Car, called “The Power of Language”. Designed by Phil Akashi, the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 takes on a new dimension to convey a message of power, unity and diversity.
The new Art Car presented by Street-Art Racing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Wednesday is a colourful, attractive car which stands out at first glance. “The Power of Language” is an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 adorned by Belgian artist Phil Akashi, and will be competing in a number of GT Cup Open Europe events this season.
“This is our fifth Art Car“, smile Albert Bloem and Damien Hellebuyck, who run Street-Art Racing. “We are even happier and more flattered that the request came from Phil himself. Apparently he had been following us for a few years and it was he who contacted us with a proposal for a new Art Car based on one of his paintings. We were delighted with both his enthusiasm and the project, and are thrilled that one of our Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4s has become The Power of Language.”
Beyond its aesthetic aspect, this Art Car is intended to convey a message of peace and harmony. The design combines characters from the Chinese language with characters from the Dongba script, which is used by the Naxi ethnic minority in Yunnan province, and which has the particular characteristic of being the last pictographic script still used in the world.
“I was born in Brussels, but I have travelled a great deal and lived in China for several years,” explains Phil Akashi. “I am particularly fascinated by the different languages and the aesthetic side of their writing. In my nomadic project The Legend of the Dragon, I went to meet many ethnic minorities to create monumental works and to open a dialogue between East and West on the theme of unity and diversity. I was able to observe how modern China, with its 56 ethnic groups, is trying to develop and unify itself while welcoming its diversity. So the Chinese government has set up a programme to try to save and perpetuate this Dongba script. I therefore see in this Art Car a symbol of power, unity and diversity.”
At the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Phil Akashi was able to see the work he had imagined take to the track for the first time. “Collaborating with Street-Art Racing and a brand as iconic as Aston Martin is a fantastic opportunity to share common values,” says the artist, who lives between Barcelona, Brussels and Hong Kong. “I have been following Street-Art Racing since their first Art Car designed by Steve Locatelli. Since I was a child, Aston Martin has been a mythical brand which makes me dream. It conveys a message of aesthetics, emotion, performance, passion… To see this Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 come to life in its new colours and to imagine it travelling on racetracks all over Europe is therefore very moving.”
To recall, Street-Art Racing will contest some of the GT Cup Open Europe events with this Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 driven by Jayan Fazal-Karim and his coach Julien Darras. At the same time, another Art Car, a Vantage AMR GT3 decorated by the artist Christophe de Fierlant, will be present in the seven races of the International GT Open in the hands of Pascal Bachmann, Jahid Fazal-Karim and Xolile Letlaka. These two cars will certainly not go unnoticed this season!
Phil Akashi website: http://www.philakashi.com
