Automobili Lamborghini celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2023 and to commemorate this significant year, Lamborghini and Japan’s most disruptive contemporary artist IKEUCHI have come together in an avant-garde artistic collaboration.
Inspired by the 60th anniversary motto “The future began in 1963”, this joint project was named “Chasing the Future” and it encompasses the “Time Gazer” and the “Huracán STO[1] Time Chaser_111100”.
Automobili Lamborghini, together with its strong network of 180 dealers in 53 different countries, have decided to organize cross-sectional projects for which different markets will cooperate with internationally renowned artists to celebrate its 60th anniversary. The company has created the artistic platform to explore, in all forms, Lamborghini’s core values that have always distinguished it in the past, present and as a future reference also. This first Japanese collaboration will be presented In Tokyo together with IKEUCHI.
Stephan Winkelmann, Automobili Lamborghini Chairman and CEO said “We are very proud to present this piece of art together with IKEUCHI in this memorable 60th anniversary year. Lamborghini Huracán STO Time Chaser_111100 truly blends tradition and innovation, the past and the future while perfectly embodying Lamborghini’s values. On this milestone of our 60th year, Lamborghini promises to continue to grow as a bold and unconventional brand, never ceasing to challenge itself.”
Since emerging on the art scene in the early 2010s, IKEUCHI’s unparalleled talent quickly attracted worldwide attention and led to collaborations with globally renowned brands and influential artists.
Inspired by cyberpunk and robot anime, he combines plastic models with industrial product parts to create a vision of the future complete with conventional functionality.
IKEUCHI, who created the collaborative model, said “I am very honored to collaborate with a brand like Automobili Lamborghini especially for its 60th Anniversary. It’s a Brand that is constantly striving to shape the future and challenging the status quo as I do with my art. The Time Gazer and the Time Chaser were created by incorporating original parts from past anniversary models and are meant to be a celebration of Lamborghini’s history from the very past with the aim of living longer also in the future. I hope that Lamborghini owners and many others could enjoy this collaboration as a piece of art that commemorates the next chapter of the ever-evolving brand.”.
These projects maximally explore the common themes shared by Lamborghini and IKEUCHI, namely the concepts of “time” and “timelessness”: the Time Gazer has been built using original Lamborghini parts and it represents a large-scale art piece meant to encapsulate IKEUCHI’s vision of past, present and future through the lens of Lamborghini’s evolution.
The Lamborghini Huracán STO Time Chaser_111100 on the other hand, is an “Opera Unica”, a one-of-a-kind limited edition that brilliantly expresses IKEUCHI’s theme of cybernetics and Lamborghini’s historic 60 years encompassing the shared values of always being at the forefront of the times and breaking the rules of the past through creative and authentic expression. The influence of Lamborghini’s heritage on this Opera Unica is remarked by the clear references to the launch colours of the previous anniversary models and by using 111100, the binary code for the number 60, in the naming itself.
Taking inspiration from the rich legacy of Lamborghini, for these creations IKEUCHI utilized original parts from previous anniversary models such as Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary, Lamborghini Diablo SE30, Lamborghini Murciélago 40th Anniversary, and Lamborghini Aventador LP-720-4 50th Anniversary. Combining these parts and other elements, IKEUCHI interpreted the Huracan STO in his signature futuristic cyber-industrial style.
Davide Sfrecola, Head of Japan Automobili Lamborghini, added “We are very pleased to enshrine such a valuable collaboration with IKEUCHI who represents the future of Japan.
From broken motherboards, plastic to electrical wiring intricately molded together to establish a cyberpunk apocalyptic aesthetic, he amplifies and investigates the connection and relationship between humans and technology in a country so rich in millennia-old traditions and contemporary culture. There is a great passion for art in all its forms that inevitably merges even into aspects of the everyday life. To a brand that has enriched a country of colors, this collaboration will contribute to add extra shades of recognizability to Japan and Automobili Lamborghini.”
About the artist
IKEUCHI
Born 1990 in Tokyo.
Graduated from Department of Information Design at Tama Art University. He spent much of his school years working on plastic models. As his graduation piece, he combined plastic models to create a hybrid diorama inspired by the notion that the interior of a computer, the most familiar object to him, looked like a secret base. After winning the Excellence Award in the Entertainment Division at the 17th Japan Media Arts Festival, he was invited to partake in Ars Electronica, the top global media art event, and was also chosen to create the campaign visual for renown fashion brand. His work has garnered high praise both in and out of the country.
[1] Fuel consumption and emission values of Huracán STO; Fuel consumption combined: 13.9 l/100km (WLTP); CO₂-emissions combined: 331 g/km (WLTP)
