Artist Heidi Mraz Debuts Exhibit ‘Driven to Abstraction’ at Miami’s Motorcar Cavalcade

TGR Staff -01/11/2022

Artist and documentarian Heidi Mraz will be expanding the perception of the automobile to car aficionados and non-automotive enthusiasts alike through an all-new experiential art collection entitled ‘Driven to Abstraction’ during Miami’s premiere lifestyle Motorcar Cavalcade event, January 15, 2023, at the JW Marriott Turnberry Resort and Spa. Additionally, one special piece from the collection, ‘Abstracted Porsche 917’, valued at $12,500 will be offered as part of the event’s silent auction benefitting the American Cancer Society.

Mraz’s bespoke artworks are collected by some of the world’s foremost automotive collectors, brands, and museums. Mraz’s most recent exhibition was at Sotheby’s in London as part of the Royal Automobile Club’s London Motoring Week 2022. 

There are many portraits of cars but none quite like that of Heidi Mraz’s latest collection ‘Driven to Abstraction’ a dynamic experiential series that depicts hidden cars at the threshold of recognition. When viewed at close range her work appears as colorful geometric abstractions, but from a distance or through a convex rearview mirror a remarkable optical illusion occurs -- a portrait of a car is revealed.

“Visually speaking, up close our brains have a blind spot. I use this phenomenon in my art to mask the subject car using color and edges to distort perception,” said Mraz.  “The magic happens when the viewer experiences “sudden perception” of seeing a car hidden in the composition. The key to unlocking the image of the car is distance, whether by stepping far enough back or viewing a shrunken version of the art in a convex rearview mirror, the painting transforms before your eyes inviting the viewer to reflect on the automobile as an art form.”

The ‘Driven to Abstraction’ exhibit includes eight mixed media artworks on canvas:

• Abstracted Porsche 917, Size 30x40” (To be auctioned)
• Abstracted Porsche 911, Size: 24x36”
• Abstracted Ferrari F40, Size: 30x60”
• Abstracted Ferrari LaFerrari, Size: 30x40”
• Abstracted BMW 328, Size: 34x30”
• Abstracted Lamborghini Countach, Size: 30x40”
• Abstracted Bugatti Type 35, Size: 24x48”
• Abstracted Bugatti Chiron, Size: 30x40”

Thrilled about the unveiling, Motorcar Cavalcade Co-Executive Director, Jason Wenig added, “Motorcar Cavalcade is not just about sharing a curated collection of rare and iconic automobiles, but we’re looking forward to providing an overall appreciation for cars as art, something Heidi intrinsically does in every piece of work she creates.”

‘Driven To Abstraction’ collection will debut at the Motorcar Cavalcade, where Mraz will be available for interviews throughout the weekend

In addition, a selection of unique works from Mraz’s ‘Petal to the Metal’ collection will also be on display. The distinctive artwork conceptually reimagines automotive art, cultivating the idea that beauty can be found in both nature and machines. 

All pieces are handcrafted with the semblance of exotic flowers out of layered paper cut from car magazines and her own images, then ‘rooted’ to a bed of brushed aluminum sheet metal. The end results are colorful, engineered ‘power plants’ masterfully styled as a vintage floral print.  Botanical descriptions are replaced with car statistics and black line drawings are made of the featured vehicles rather than flowers. The series includes eight unique super car designs ranging from Koenigsegg to Bugatti.