Charles Ray
Regen Projects
Despite Californian I tires and Pontiac Grand Am brand name; despite engine parts, damaged gas tank cover, and crushed grille; despite muffler and exhaust pipe, chassis and axle, glove compartment and cup holders; despite four doors, four wheels, and decal announcing “Jesus is Lord”—Unpainted Sculpture, 1997, is not a car. Somehow casting in fiberglass all the elements of a totaled car removes them from car-ness just enough to raise questions about what it is, how it works, and how meaning attaches to it. The wreck is an accidental intersection of time, space, and material, which might make it