Team Speed Talks Art & Autos with ‘Disrupter’ Designer Rem D Koolhaas

By David Ciminelli - July 5, 2019

We discuss design, DeLoreans, and more as we check out the new Petersen exhibit that explores the fine line between art and automobile.

Famous artists have long been fascinated by the appealing aesthetics of automobiles. Some have even incorporated vehicles into their work, as an ultimate expression of their devotion as die-hard auto enthusiasts. Pop artist Keith Haring famously adorned his iconic “Atomic Baby” and other instantly recognizable hieroglyphics to a variety of impressive machines throughout the Eighties, including a 1962 SCAF/Mortarini mini Ferrari 33 P-2 and a 1990 BMW Z1. And Haring’s protege Kenny Scharf recently had his “New Improved Ultima Suprema Deluxa” artwork, which appears on a colorful 1959 Cadillac, exhibited at L.A.’s Petersen Automotive Museum (pictured below).

CARS AS CANVAS: Kenny Scharf transforms a 1959 Cadillac into the modern art piece, “New Improved Ultima Suprema Deluxa.”

Now, with the auto industry seeming to evolve at the speed of light, with self-driving vehicles and space-age technology completely revolutionizing what and how we drive, the Petersen is exploring the connection between artists and automobiles by hosting a unique exhibit that delves deeper into how art and autos influence each other. And this wildly creative exhibit pushes the envelope a lot further than merely using autos as canvas. The aptly titled “Disruptors” exhibit features two notable visionaries from outside the automotive industry who have designed their own incredibly unique vehicles that defy any preconceived notions of auto design with road-ready vehicles that look like roving high-art.

FRIENDS IN LO PLACES: Rem D Koolhaas’ “Lo Res Car” is functional high art inspired by a Lamborghini Countach.

The exhibit opened June 29 and showcases the dynamic work of two creative minds whose artistic reach stretches far beyond the scope of their “day jobs.” Michigan industrial designer Joey Ruiter is the man behind Grand Rapids-based jruiter + studio, famous for its edgy, rules-breaking furniture, and Dutch architect-turned-shoe designer Rem D Koolhaas, who has collaborated with top couture designers like Iris van Herpen and has trendsetters like Lady Gaga sporting his stylish and edgy footwear.

OFF-ROAD-READY: Joey Ruiter’s “Reboot Buggy” sports a 470 hp Chevy V8 and four-wheel independent suspension.

Both designers have been lauded in countless fashion and art publications; Ruiter for his eponymous furniture design that includes everything from shelving to Herman Miller office furniture, and United Nude proprietor Koolhaas for his signature “Möbius” shoe and other haute couture inspired by architecture. And when they’re not busy creating fashionable new home and fashion products for the high-end consumer market, both men have been known to periodically pour their personal love of autos into their work, with Ruiter recently gaining international acclaim for his wickedly redesigned motorcycle, the “Moto Undone.” Likewise, Koolhaas’ “Lo Res Car” steals the spotlight from hip-hop superstars Rich the Kid and Kendrick Lamar in the former’s 2017 “New Freezer” video, below.

The unique direction of the “Disruptors” exhibit, which runs through March 15, 2020, pushes the designers’ automotive concepts and creativity even further and poses as many questions about automobiles and emerging technology as it answers. The Petersen describes the exhibit as “Seizing an opportunity to create (and then cater to) a growing demand among enlightened, progressive consumers for the sophistication of simplicity, Koolhaas and Ruiter have eschewed a traditional design approach and in doing so left themselves free to mold familiar products in unexpected ways.” Fortunately for auto enthusiasts, many of those familiar products are vehicles.

‘I don’t think that there’s many people that collect cars that are not car enthusiasts. But I’m sure that there’s people that collect paintings who don’t understand art like that.’

“’Disruptors’ is a critical analysis on how two designers with backgrounds in fashion, architecture, and industrial design have come to perceive the automobile,” says Terry L. Karges, Petersen Automotive Museum’s Executive Director. “This exhibit is unlike any other we’ve presented in the past because the content challenges common perceptions of vehicles, and the presentation is appropriately unconventional in its aesthetic.”

ART ON WHEELS: Created in 2010, Koolhaas’ “Lo Res Car” is constructed of steel and wrapped in a mirror-like film.

“[Working with automobiles] definitely improved my reputation as a designer, increased my street cred, and that’s why I moved to L.A.: product placement,” Koolhaas tells Team Speed when we check out the vehicles on the exhibit’s opening night. Koolhaas relocated to California three years ago. And so far, he has even managed to outsmart the notorious SoCal traffic, “I chose my work place very carefully. So, my commute is a very comfortable seven-minute drive.”

Koolhaas has been a hardcore auto enthusiast almost as long as he has been a designer; a lifelong passion initially sparked by a random encounter with a DeLorean.

“I drive this space gray BMW three series convertible from 2011, which is a very simple, beautiful straight-line car with nice big wheels,” he says when we start talking cars. “And I just bought a DeLorean. It was my childhood dream car. I took so much inspiration from it, even my brand’s logo is inspired by the DeLorean logo. As soon as I saw one–when I was a teenager visiting from the Netherlands to New Jersey and saw a real DeLorean for the first time–I thought it was such a cool car. It is so beautiful. I was so amazed by it.”

Koolhaas is also a fan of Lamborghini, which inspired the initial shape of his Lo Res Car, which actually represents a Lamborghini Countach viewed from a lower 3D perspective.

READY FOR STURGIS: Ruiter’s 2011 creation,”Moto Undone,” reimagines the motorcycle in its simplest form.

We talked about the delicate balance of working with other designers and artists, and how the collaboration with Ruiter took shape.

“I have learned how to collaborate over the years. I’ve collaborated with people…and some other architects and artists and so on. I’ve also worked with some impossible people with some huge egos and so on. So, I learned to deal with that.” Koolhaas says. “And with Joey, our introduction started with me reaching out to him and saying, ‘Hi. I love your work.’ and him saying, ‘Oh, I know who you are, and I love your work.’ And I had a project that I wanted to discuss with him. So, I said, I have this project, maybe we can meet and do something. I was already doing cars, and I wanted to do a new car, and with the new car I needed some help. So, we started talking.”

SHARP DESIGN: Koolhaas’ United Nude is fully functional and likely as fun to drive as a DeLorean.

As an artist, designer, and car guy, Koolhaas was familiar with the desire and drive to own and collect. Of course, being an enthusiast can be an expensive proposition, whether it is a fashionista dropping $380,000 for a Hermes bag, or an auto collector spending $18 million on Bugatti’s ‘Black Car.’ While non-enthusiasts might not understand, we wondered if working on car design gave Koolhaas insight.

“Because it’s worth it,” he states. “It’s an investment, and they love it. And they have the money. It’s probably smarter to invest in art, because it’s easier to keep. Cars are not as practical, they need maintenance….I don’t think that there’s many people that collect cars that are not car enthusiasts. But I’m sure that there’s people that collect paintings who don’t understand art like that.”

Of course, like most prized art pieces, these items are literally one of a kind, which certainly stirs up interest and desirability. This, it turns out, is a clever business model.

“We made one [Lo Res Car], and then I thought that people might be interested to buy one,” he explains. “So, I thought maybe I should build three and sell them and then make money with that, and they will help the brand by being on exhibit here and there. But it was a nightmare building them. But we did sell one, and that one landed at the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation later on.”

The Petersen Automotive Museum’s “Disruptors” exhibit runs through next March. For more information about the exhibit, visit the Petersen’s website.

Photos for Team Speed by David Ciminelli