The collaboration with Wei-Ling Gallery offers collectors and art enthusiasts the opportunity to own scale models of the Arteon that have been transformed by the artists into unique sculptures.
The art pieces would be auctioned off, and proceeds would be donated to the Breast Cancer Welfare Association (BCWA).
As Volkswagen’s flagship model, the Arteon offers avantgarde design with dynamic handling.
Volkswagen said the Arteon name is a reflection of its appearance – "Art" describes the fastback’s emotional lines, while "eon" identifies’ it as a premium model.
The Arteon project is an extension of the recent “18@8 Turning Points” exhibition by Wei-Ling Gallery.
The exhibition explores the 13 artists’ pasts through philosophical, technical and aesthetic approaches, in the form of provocative art pieces that reflected this ideology.
Prominent Malaysian artists who participated in this project included Anurendra Jegadeva and Ivan Lam who recently represented Malaysia at the 58th Venice Art Biennale, as well as Hamidi Hadi, Yau Bee Ling and Choy Chun Wei.
The Arteon art pieces are described as bold and are directly linked to the artists’ original pieces from Turning Points.
Anurendra’s Arteon was inspired by "A Garland for My Father", presented as a portrait of his father surrounded by light boxes, featuring archival photos of family members and their Volkswagen Beetle.
Wong Chee Meng’s "The Yearning Realm", with a unique painting approach in which layers of images are adjusted to form an illusion, this reflected onto an Arteon through the same use of red and blue lenses.
VPCM managing director Erik Winter said the Arteon R-Line and working with Wei-Ling Gallery was a chance for the brand to engage with art fans.
“As a group, Volkswagen continues to promote worldwide support for arts and culture, and we have had collaborations in the past with local talents.
"Wei-Ling is a household name in the art fraternity here and abroad, and we are thrilled not only to be supporting this effort to deepen people’s understanding to the influence of art in our lives with our latest product, but to also be doing our part for a good cause in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” he said.
Founder and gallery director Lim Wei-Ling said it was encouraging to see that Volkswagen supported the arts.
"In a country like Malaysia where exposure to the arts is limited, it is through initiatives and collaborations like these that we are able to create more awareness on the important roles that artists play," she said.
"Artists are the observers of our times - documenting, capturing and enshrining the times through which they live, within their works.”
All 13 Arteon sculptures will be available for online viewing and bidding at www.arteonartcar.com or at Wei-Ling Contemporary at The Gardens Mall via appointment by calling 03-2282 8323.
Bidding closes at 5pm on Oct 1.
The Arteon R-Line is priced at RM225,490 and comes with 3 years free maintenance, 5 years unlimited mileage warranty and 5 years roadside assistance.
With the current sales tax break, the recommended retail price of the Arteon R-Line is RM220,043 until Dec 31.
