The project, made possible by Frizelle Sunshine, was inspired by Andy Warhol’s format of live painting, seeing Claudio take his brushes to a McLaren GT supercar, much like Andy did in the 70s. The transformation took place over a series of activations across the Gold Coat, including Art-Work Studios, HOTA Home of the Arts, McLaren Gold Coast and Pacific Fair.
“I was inspired to pay homage to McLaren’s history, and drew from botanicals found throughout Australia, New Zealand and England. An extension of my Wildflowers series, these elements were reinterpreted through my lens, integrating mixed media to bring to story to life.”— Claudio KiracClaudio’s artwork created a fitting homage to the cross-continental history of McLaren, connecting the countries through their natural landscapes, while also embodying the spirit of the car.
“The introduction of a superlight Grand Tourer into McLaren’s model family re-imagines the breed. The GT is all about delving into adventure, without compromising power and performance. In finding a way to bring this to life, we felt that a collaboration with a local artist would be a wonderful recognition of the talent we have in this City and well Claudio… he bought the adventure, the power and the performance.”— Robert Bradbury, Dealer Principal of McLaren Gold CoastThe live painting sessions kicked off at the McLaren Gold Coast showroom, before moving onto Pacific Fair. The narrative of the painting continued at Art-Work Studios in Mermaid Beach, where the car was showcased in the gallery context.
“HOTA Gallery is the new home of art and design on the Gold Coast and we are proud to be a backdrop for the Claudio Kirac x McLaren GT collab! Gold Coaster’s love local artists and luxury car design, and the exhibition of “Art Cars” has some incredible predecessors – this is a great opportunity to stretch the boundaries of art and design outside the gallery walls and onto the streets.”— Tracy Cooper Lavery, Director of Gallery and Visual Arts HOTAA cocktail event at McLaren Gold Coast was the official unveiling of the new creation, allowing McLaren’s family to have the first close look at the transformed car. The car’s tour concluded at HOTA, a fitting location to celebrate the intersection of art and automotive ingenuity.
The collaboration was a fusion of artistic endeavour and technical excellence, pushing the boundaries of creativity from gallery walls to the city streets. For Claudio and McLaren Gold Coast, it marked a significant chapter in their ongoing narrative of innovation, creativity and local talent celebration.
“Our collaboration with Claudio Kirac successfully represented the McLaren Grand Tourer’s adventure, power, and performance, whilst delivering a wonderful celebration of local artistic talent. We are thrilled with the outcome of this collaboration, not only for McLaren Gold Coast and Claudio Kirac, but for the City of Gold Coast as a whole.”
Claudio Kirac's life philosophy has always been that life is "one big art show," and it was this spirit that the collaboration captured. From the first brush strokes placed at the McLaren Gold Coast showroom to the unveiling of the finished masterpiece, the Claudio Kirac x McLaren GT collaboration seamlessly brought together the world of art and high-performance cars.