S otheby's New York is pleased to honor Virgil Abloh – Chief Creative Director and Founder of Off-White and Men’s Artistic Director at Louis Vuitton – and Gorden Wagener – Chief Design Officer at Mercedes-Benz – as co-curators of this autumn's Contemporary Curated auction, taking place on 2 October. Abloh and Wagener initially joined forces to collaborate on Project Geländewagen, a first-of-its-kind creative mission to reimagine the iconic Mercedes-Benz G-Class. The result is a work of art – so much so that a special, one-of-a-kind Mercedes-Benz maquette of the model will be auctioned for charity as part of Contemporary Curated's catalogue.
On the heels of Project Geländewagen, co-curating for Sotheby's was a natural fit for the pair – especially considering the range of mold-breaking, industry-transforming artists represented in the Contemporary Curated sale.
We sat down with Abloh and Wagener to discuss the impetus of their collaboration, the importance of innovation and the power of disruptive, artistic imagination.
Describe your creative collaboration and how it came about.
Gorden Wagener The G-class is the most iconic car we have at Mercedes-Benz, and it just so happens that Virgil and I both drive one, a G-63. We first met in Paris and immediately started talking holistically about the project, talking the same language. I was really inspired by Virgil’s approach to collaborations – we didn’t want to just invite a fashion designer to “design” a car for Mercedes-Benz. We already know how to do this. Virgil’s creativity as a multi-disciplinary designer, the creative dialogue and the personal relationship we built, altogether made this project an incredible experience. It was the best collaboration I’ve ever had with a designer from a different industry, which sometimes can be difficult; but this was a truly fruitful collaboration.
Virgil Abloh Project Geländewagen was born purely from conversation between Gorden and myself.
How does Project Geländewagen showcase the future of luxury, design and beauty?
G.W. For this project, we wanted to explore a new definition of luxury, one that is stripped back, honest and makes sense for the times we live in, which is what Virgil brought to the table. We started the design process by analyzing the DNA of the G-class, breaking it down to its essence to find out what makes it so iconic, capturing the experience of owning and driving the G-class in order to create a new and different interpretation of the model. It is one of the most-loved cars we have at Mercedes-Benz, which is why it was the perfect starting point for a joint exploration into ‘The New Luxury', as only a unique and unmistakable structure that can lend itself to multiple personal interpretations will stand the test of time, and truly define modern luxury.
V.A. The idea of luxury is ever changing, but something that remains consistent is the notion that the things we personally perceive to be luxurious are really things that we covet. Project Geländewagen proves that luxury doesn’t have to conform to ways of the past.
“We wanted to explore a new definition of luxury, one that is stripped back, honest and makes sense for the times we live in.”
Gorden Wagener
How does art play a part in each of your lives?
G.W. Art has always been a really important part of my life, both personally and professionally. At Mercedes-Benz, our design philosophy is centered around this idea of Sensual Purity, which we follow almost like a religion. Part of this is an exploration into what attracts humanity to beauty, the emotional connection we feel when we look at an incredible piece of art that moves us, which we bring into everything we do. With this project, we hope to empower the next generation of young creatives to collaborate on a global scale and take design, art and culture to the next level.
V.A. I think it’s fair to say that art surrounds us, particularly if you consider the differing practices that fall under the umbrella of “art” – there’s architecture, fashion, design, and so many more. Objects that we sometimes think of as mundane can and should be considered as works of art and incredible feats of design.
“Objects that we sometimes think of as mundane can and should be considered as works of art and incredible feats of design.”
Virgil Abloh
What’s another artwork or artist that you admire, or that has impacted or inspired you in some way?
V.A. I like to say that Duchamp is my lawyer. So many of my own philosophies and the way that I perceive the world have been directly impacted by him and his work.
Why are collaborations like this so important for artists and creatives?
G.W. It was really important to us that this project be truly collaborative in order to allow us to push the creativity of our respective fields and create a wholly iconic piece of design. The Mercedes-Benz passion to innovate never stops, and doing what you love – such as working creatively with others, as we’ve done with Virgil on Project Geländewagen – is critical to fruitful creativity. Young artists and designers must continue to carry on this energy and passion, to drive innovation.
V.A. The most important thing to me in all of my work is paving a path for the next generation, for those who are coming after me. Now more than ever, those of us who have voices and have opened doors need to keep them open, and make sure that the conversation includes the youth.
How does it differ from working independently?
G.W. Design is not a simple discipline anymore, which is why we were attracted to Virgil’s multi-disciplinary approach. It’s only through pushing yourself out of your comfort zone that you can truly expand your knowledge, develop your way of thinking and continue to innovate.
V.A. When you bring together the best of the best from two different worlds, the final product is bound to be something incredible, something that hasn’t been seen before.
“Now more than ever, those of us who have voices and have opened doors need to keep them open, and make sure that the conversation includes the youth.”
Virgil Abloh
What are your favorite museums or galleries?
G.W. I always enjoy visits to our Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. It celebrates the automobile invented by Carl Benz in 1886, bringing its history alive by placing it into the context of technology, day-to-day life, social history and popular culture. More than 160 vehicles of all types are the main protagonists, ranging from some of the oldest automobiles ever built to legendary racing cars and futuristic research vehicles. The Mercedes-Benz Museum is the brand’s treasure chamber. I am inspired by this place because the exhibits document our long, great brand and product history, and because this history also provides the impetus for new design ideas.
V.A. I’m actually most excited for my museum retrospective, called “Figures of Speech", to resume. Like I said, the most important factor in all of my work is paving the way for the next generation to follow in my footsteps. I consider “Figures of Speech” a kind of road map for kids, for them to see what I’ve been able to accomplish and know that they can do it too.
How do your two unique design languages/philosophies complement or inform each other? How are they different?
G.W. Both Virgil and Mercedes-Benz are disruptive in our approaches, I think we both agree that the only way to push design and creativity forward is to question everything, break it down and start again. What is important in terms of design is that it is so much more difficult to take something away then to add something. My Vision is to create the most desired Luxury. The Mercedes-Benz design philosophy is deeply rooted in this idea of Sensual Purity, which is at the heart of everything we do, and the idea of purity is a philosophy I believe Virgil also shares. In terms of differences, Virgil has a very conceptual approach to his design, and we love the detail at Mercedes-Benz – we are car geeks after all!
V.A. What’s most similar about Gorden and I is that we both have lives outside of our careers, and because of this we’re able to connect on a human level. I think the greatest thing about collaboration is bringing together two different languages and creating a new one that both sides can understand.
Will this collaboration bring a new audience to Mercedes-Benz, one that might not otherwise consider them?
G.W. We hope so! With all our projects we always hope to inspire new audiences and reach people in unexpected ways. Our products and the brand have always had multiple touchpoints to many cultural industries from music, to sports, and of course fashion. Personal style, and how you portray yourself has long stopped being limited to one thing. A luxury purchase – such as fashion, or art, or cars – is all linked with one factor: extraordinary design.