Frieze Sculpture returns to The Regent’s Park, featuring monumental works of 23 prominent artists, including Zak Ové’s futuristic yet retro, cross-cultural totemic mask, Autonomous Morris.
Originally commissioned for the Smithson Plaza in Mayfair London in 2018, Autonomous Morris is a motorised ‘Macco’ – a person who involves themselves in other people’s business for the purpose of gossip and posterity. The work is made from deconstructed and collaged vintage car parts welded together to produce a futuristic yet retro, cross-cultural totemic mask.
The ten foot high sculpture references the artist’s interest in the sculptural aspects of cars, using them to represent geographical movement, historical documentation, protection and nostalgia. Made entirely from discarded car parts, including several vintage MorrisMinor bonnets (referencing the assumed British tradition of Morris Dancing, which in reality came to the UK courtesy of the Moors), the sculpture reflects Ové’s fascination by ideas around travel, the spread of diaspora and the positive effects of mixing cultures.