Several art and autos collabs over the Singapore Art Week 2025 really fired up our engines
In some quarters, congregating in a gallery to gaze at curated works of art is a thing – throw some sagely beard stroking into the mix and you’re definitely good to go!
However, we’re bigger fans of more accessible forms of art, especially if a wider audience can get up close and personal to it.
This goes some way towards explaining our penchant for gritty street art – like graffiti for instance – because it’s the real and raw stuff everyone can see and appreciate as they carry on with their daily lives.
See also: We talk to Colin Chow, founder of Auto Icons
That’s the kicker isn’t it, because art should be inclusive and not divisive and it’s all the more enriching if it brings people and communities together.
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To further build on this, we reckon a car is a great canvas on which to execute one’s artistic vision. Even better, it is always on the move, which means it reaches a potentially larger and more diverse audience.
Yes, you could probably use a MPV, but artwork on slab-sided MPVs tends to come across as billboard-ish, and where’s the fun in that?
Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS) initiated a design competition with the made-in-Singapore Ioniq 6 as a blank canvas to strengthen ties with the LASALLE College of the Arts by inspiring the next generation of artists.
This initiative is a natural extension of HMGICS’ dedication to elevating the visibility of art in Singapore, as well as supporting and nurturing local design communities by offering learning opportunities.
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Year 1 student Ngo Quynh Phuong’s winning “Dragon of the East” decal design was produced and applied on an actual Ioniq 6 and displayed in public. (Pictured below: Ngo Quynh Phuong is second from the right)
She tells us, “I created “Dragon of the East” because I was reminded during brainstorming of a history lesson in high school, where I learned about the Four Asian Dragons, which includes South Korea.”
“I immediately thought of the image of a dragon and how powerful it is as it travels through the elements of air and water – through the clouds and waves. Wanting to display the sheer power and speed of the Ioniq 6, I crafted a design that embodies its strength with bold colours and bright visuals,” she continues.
Furthermore, it’s always compelling if the car is something special, such as the lurid Porsche 911 DakarT (a play on ‘art’) by automotive render artist, “Pinstripe Chris” (aka Chris Dunlop) for instance, which uses a white 911 Dakar as a blank slate – one of 2500 units in the world.
“In a lot of ways, how much it gets seen depends on the owner, but a car as a canvas potentially transforms it into another form of art. And the ability to share it simply by driving it really opens up the visibility immensely compared to a traditional canvas,” Chris says.
The car last wore a different art livery (its then-design was inspired by Singapore’s roads and MRT tracks) when it was prepped and shipped from Singapore to the 2024 Monterey Car Week (and an accompanying 2500km drive) in the USA. (Pictured above is the 911 Dakar during the 2024 Monterey Car Week)
This time around, Socal-based “Pinstripe Chris” (pictured above) was in Singapore during the 2025 Singapore Art Week as the local owner commissioned a new artwork through Auto Icons for the 911 Dakar to celebrate his epic drive in the USA.
Within the niche circle of collectible cars, Auto Icons is building a community of passionate enthusiasts by connecting them through the cars, the drives and complementary activations, be it lifestyle, fashion or art, such as this recent collaboration with “Pinstripe Chris” for instance. (Pictured above is Pinstripe Chris with a local commission for the new owner of a 246 Dino GT)
“This latest version incorporates colours I like, as well as features three ‘easter eggs’ to represent the beautiful adventures the car and I went on,” the 911 DakarT owner tells us. If you’re curious, the easter eggs incorporated into the grand design include the Golden Gate Bridge, Yosemite and Lombard Street in San Francisco.
Using a car as a canvas has its fair share of challenges, not least of which are its curves and contours and how designs, lighting and colours work on these unique surfaces.
Luckily enough, Chris’ background as an automotive custom painter and restoration expert has stood him in good stead, because he has developed an intimate knowledge of lighting cars and shapes without the need for reference material.
During the recent Singapore Art Week, Chris was also invited to join Porsche Singapore’s first “Driving Tomorrow” fireside chat of 2025 at the Porsche Studio Singapore, alongside Malaysian artist “Red” Hong Yi (pictured above second from left) and Auto Icons founder Colin Chow (pictured above extreme right), to talk about the intersection of art, innovation and community.
“Red” Hong Yi’s The Red Thread: Past, Present, Future was specially commissioned by Porsche Asia Pacific and inspired by 60 of the legendary sportscar brand’s shades of the colour red from its Paint-to-Sample catalogue.
This includes popular red hues from the palette such as Peru Red (from the 1970s), as well as Guards Red and Carmine Red. In fact, she learned that Guards Red is the most significant red for Porsche, so it was repeated the most times throughout her art piece.
Also, subtly embedded within the art-piece is the distinctive flyline of the iconic Porsche 911, a nod to timeless design, because its instantly recognisable silhouette is unmistakable.
Red was chosen to symbolise the enthusiast’s fiery passion for cars.
About the collaboration, Red Hong Yi said, “Porsche’s rich legacy and attention to detail are a perfect match for this project. Together, we’ve created an artwork that speaks to the essence of time – how our past shapes our present, and inspires our future.”
“This partnership with Red Hong Yi underlines our dedication to pushing boundaries and exploring new dimensions of creativity, and we are proud to continue our involvement with Singapore Art Week via ART SG in 2025,” said Mr. Yannick Ott, Director Marketing Porsche Asia Pacific.
“In our conversations with Red, we quickly uncovered a shared interest and belief in the notion of time, and the interplay between past, present and future. Though seemingly at odds, each is indispensable to the other: Consistency can only thrive when contrasted against change and evolution, and genuine progress always honors tradition. Our icon, the 911, now in its eighth generation, stands as a testament to this philosophy,” Ott continued.
