Surreal Lexus Sculptures
MSCHF Transforms Two Lexus Electric Vehicles Into Surreal Sculptures for New York Exhibition
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Key Points
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MSCHF calls the sculptures “Form Cars,” distinguishing them from “Concept Cars”: unlike engineered vehicles designed to move, these works are sculpted to evoke the idea of movement.
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Lexus framed the project as an exploration beyond drivetrain technology. “Most conversations about electrification focus on how a vehicle is powered. MOTOMORPHOSIS asks a different question: what can electricity power in our imagination?” said Lisa McQueen, senior manager of Lexus marketing.
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In Circle Car, the wheels remain distributed around the ring’s outside edge and the cabin follows the curve, retaining enough of the RZ 450e’s recognizable structure to make the impossible transformation appear plausible.
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The exhibition’s pairing of each sculpture with its unaltered Lexus counterpart is intended to examine how people mentally represent objects through their presumed ability to move, rather than through shape alone.
Brooklyn art collective MSCHF has twisted two Lexus electric vehicles into surreal sculptures for MOTOMORPHOSIS, an exhibition during New York's Armory Week in September 2026. Dezeen reported that Circle Car reshapes the Lexus RZ 450e into a continuous nose-to-tail ring, while Twisted Car bends the Lexus RX 450h+ into a dramatic spiral. The sculptures apply squash-and-stretch animation logic to real cars, making production vehicles appear soft and elastic.
Animation Logic Becomes Physical Sculpture
MSCHF calls these works "Form Cars," not concept cars. Dezeen explained the distinction: concept cars are engineered to move, but these sculptures are crafted to evoke movement itself. The artists used 3D animation's visual language — squash, stretch, and elastic distortion — to reimagine familiar vehicle shapes. Each sculpture pairs with its unaltered Lexus counterpart to highlight how viewers mentally represent objects through their presumed ability to move.
How Circle Car Keeps Its Structure Plausible
In Circle Car, the Lexus RZ 450e becomes a complete loop. The wheels remain distributed around the ring's outer edge. The cabin follows the curve, retaining enough of the original RZ's recognizable structure to make the impossible transformation appear physically feasible. This balance between distortion and familiarity is key — viewers can still recognize the source vehicle within the twisted form.
Lexus Reframes Electrification as Imaginative Possibility
Lexus positioned the project as an exploration beyond drivetrain technology. Pause Magazine reported that Lisa McQueen, senior manager of Lexus marketing, said: "Most conversations about electrification focus on how a vehicle is powered. MOTOMORPHOSIS asks a different question: what can electricity power in our imagination?" The partnership shifts the conversation from engineering specs to artistic potential and human perception.
Exhibition Runs at Chelsea Industrial in Late September
MOTOMORPHOSIS opens September 24 through 26, 2026, at Chelsea Industrial in Manhattan. The timing coincides with Armory Week, New York's annual fall art event. Both sculptures will be displayed alongside their original, unmodified Lexus counterparts. This pairing invites visitors to examine how recognizable proportions, direction, and implied movement shape our sense of what a car is — beyond its shape alone.
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