Swiss photographer Fabian Oefner has returned to the Geneva-based MAD Gallery with a new show for its Taipei outpost. 'Disintegrating II' is an exhibition of five large-format prints, comprising the second part of Oefner’s 'Disintegrating' series, first seen at the Geneva MAD Gallery in 2013. His goal is to capture images of real objects or situations, but which are invisible to the naked eye. This time, he’s deconstructed the most beautiful – and, it must be said, valuable – automotive treasures of them all, producing photographs that look as if the cars have exploded, creating a shower of internal components.
It takes Oefner two months and over 2,000 photos to create each image. What makes his achievement all the more remarkable is that the full-sized cars, one of which is Ralph Lauren’s 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, were not touched. Oefner created the five images by painstakingly deconstructing scale-models.
This is possible because today’s state-of-the-art model cars, the large-scale items with four-figure prices, are indistinguishable from the real thing, provided no nearby objects betray their size. How else do you think they destroyed James Bond’s priceless Aston-Martin at the end of Skyfall?
The first part of Oefner’s ’Disintegrating’ series was shown in 2013 at the Geneva branch of MAD Gallery
Oefner photographs each component, over a thousand in each model, placing each piece in a specific position. In this manner, he can create the illusion of an exploding automobile. As tempted as one might be to think they’re computer-generated, they are not. The cars – all legendary – include the Auto Union Type C, the Maserati 250F, Ford’s GT40, the aforementioned Bugatti 57SC Atlantic and the Porsche 956.
Each of the five images is available in two sizes: 140cm x 70cm and 230cm x 115cm. The smaller of the two is limited to eight prints priced at 3,780 CHF and the larger to three prints selling for 19,440 CHF. Both are also offered as limited artist's editions – two each, at 5,000 CHF and 22,000 CHF. It's interesting to note that, at one time, 22,000 CHF would have paid for the actual cars.
The photographer has produced images of exploded automobiles, each taking two months and over 2,000 images to create
The images were created using deconstructed scale models
The legendary vehicles depicted in the exhibition include the Maserati 250F and Ralph Lauren’s 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the MAD Gallery website and the Fabian Oefner website
ADDRESS
MAD Gallery
No 10, Lane 101
Section 1
Da'an Rd
Da’an District
Taipei City
Taiwan 106
-
In Shanghai, Hermès conjures a ‘cosmopolitan explorer’ for its one-off show on the Huangpu RiverNadège Vanhée, artistic director of Hermès’ womenswear collections, presented ‘The Second Chapter’ of her A/W 2025 collection earlier this evening (13 June 2025) against the futuristic skyline of Shanghai
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekIt was a jam-packed week for the Wallpaper* staff, entailing furniture, tech and music launches and lots of good food – from afternoon tea to omakase
-
Peugeot brings back a classic performance badge for the electric era: meet the E-208 GTiPeugeot has unveiled the new E-208 GTi, a performance EV designed to hark back to a golden age of compact sports cars
-
Gulfstream’s newly refurbished London Design Centre offers myriad ways to spec your jetPurchasing a private jet requires a cavalcade of design decisions. Gulfstream now offers its London customers a new Sales and Design Centre for them to make their decisions at leisure
-
‘Wundercar’ celebrates the ineffable aura of the Porsche 959, the first true hypercarCurated by London creatives INK, ‘Wundercar’ is a London exhibition dedicated to the image and influence of Porsche’s seminal 959, a true icon of 1980s engineering
-
Can Maserati modernise or is the sun setting on one of Italy’s most beloved automotive brands?Maserati’s GranTurismo Folgore is an epic electric grand tourer without equal. If only its traditionalist customers wanted it more
-
Our pick of the reveals at the 2025 New York Auto Show, from concept SUVs to new EVsInterest in overseas brands remained strong at this year’s NY Auto Show despite the threat of tariffs designed to boost American-owned brands
-
The Porsche 911 Spirit 70 harks back to the aesthetic and ethos of the 1970sAs part of Porsche’s Heritage Design strategy, the company has launched a new special edition, the Porsche 911 Spirit 70 convertible
-
Rainer W. Schlegelmilch's Porsche photography showcases the aesthetics of speedTaschen's new edition of Rainer W. Schlegelmilch’s collected imagery from a quarter of a century spent following Porsche racing highlights historical machines, emotive camera technique and major moments on the track
-
EV start-up Halcyon transforms a classic 1970s Rolls-Royce into a smooth electric operatorThis 1978 Rolls-Royce Corniche is the first fruit of a new electric restomod company, the Surrey-based Halcyon
-
China’s Leapmotor pounces on the European car market with its T03 city car and C10 SUVLeapmotor’s tiny electric city car could be just the tonic for cramped urban Europe. We sample the T03 and its new sibling, the fully loaded C10 SUV, to see if the company’s value proposition stacks up
