The story of how to saw up a Bentley
PhDr. Ľudovít Petránsky
What do you need to be able to saw a Bentley Bentayga luxury car in half? Well, first and foremost the car itself, and even the bodywork is enough. And then the other little things – courage, an idea, a bigger workshop, a couple of determined mates who don’t snort when they have to carry a few metres of metal a few times, one of whom should have a good quality multi-blade carb grinder (or even two).
It’s not bad to have more time ahead of you, about half to three-quarters of a year, and infinite patience with a fixed vision of the goal. And, of course, a committed manager in a world-class car company to put it all in place…
It all miraculously came together at the turn of 2016 | 2017, when the well-known Slovak artist Katarína Alexy Fígerová received a big challenge on her desk: to saw up a Bentley!
Homage to the last bodywork
“I have already made two large reliefs for Volkswagen, which are now exhibited in the congress centre,” Katarína begins her story.
“At that time they chose me randomly, but the second time the car company representatives addressed me intentionally. It was the former manager of Volkswagen Slovakia Jan Waalkens who has an understanding for art and is familiar with my work. He told me that the Bentley Bentayga is going out of production in Slovakia and they’d like to leave the last bodywork to the company in Bratislava as homage to this car.
They had no idea what it should look like and just wanted to turn it into something interesting. Naturally, I agreed.”
At first Katarína prepared a design of her artistic concept on a smaller scale. She went to a toy store and bought a small Bentley model. Since the toy cars were only in white, she sprayed it black. White Bentleys were not produced in the Bratislava plant.
She presented her proposal to the managers and they were so excited that black Bentley bodywork soon landed in her yard. It was elegant bodywork of the last model made in Slovakia and it contained the signatures of all those who participated in its production. “I left the signatures on the surface to make it look authentic,” says Katarína.
“And then it began. Endless hours followed during which my skilled assistant had to replace several cutters and discs. The bodywork was as solid as a small tank, but gradually we managed to break it into the required parts. I was very cautious because of its great value.”
Assemblage as a principle of creative work
However, this is literally only half of the story. The other half of the story, namely the bodywork, was used to produce 14 other paintings. Katarína applied the sawn up parts to the pictures with the dimension of 90 x 100 cm. They did not have a typical sequence, but were united by the Bentley and the artist’s idea. Here, too, everything was carefully screwed in so that the beauty of the surface material was not damaged. Nothing was wasted.
The Bentley became part of the work of art. Those who are familiar with Katarína’s art know that assemblage is her basic principle of work.
She prefers using found objects, made from metal, textiles, paper or other materials, in her creative work. They complete the overall expression, endow it with further life and involve artistic experimentation. Found objects rhythmicise the surface and, together with brushwork and strokes of the palette knife, contribute to the concise expression of meaning. However, the artist says that it is not a game of chance but a deliberate method of expressing the idea or experience on the canvas in the simplest possible way. I was the curator of several of Katarína’s solo exhibitions, which received favourable responses from experts and the public, and I know that she is very well prepared for improvisation.
I have curated several of Katarína’s solo exhibitions, which have met with a positive response from both the professional and lay public, and I know that she is meticulously prepared for improvisations.
A rewarding experience with support of a big company
Naturally, the commission for the Volkswagen required a different approach, but the method was similar. Katarína has a lot of experience in working metal (sculptures), but this was something special. The sawing up of the Bentley required a complex coordination of people and a sequence of individual steps. The technically demanding work lasted until September 2017. “ I was very proud that the car producer addressed me – after all the theme of cars is more of a male business,” Katarína added with pride. “Perhaps they were attracted by the contrast of two different worlds, however, Jan Waalkens was very important in this respect. If it weren’t for him, it probably wouldn’t have happened. He was the one who gave the project the green light and persuaded the management that I can produce high quality work.”
Today, the unique reliefs – pictures and assemblages hang in the headquarters of Volkswagen Slovakia close to the production line. This is why there is no access for the general public. They can only be seen on open days organised by the company. And what’s next? “I’d like to continue,” Katarína confesses. “It was
a valuable experience supported by a nice gesture from a big company to promote art. We have to believe that there will be many more such activities in the future.”
