Toyota to Benz
installationToyota celica, Mercedes spare parts, fibre glass supported by Exposure, Beirut Art Center
2010
The car’s fabled curves are a little rough, the back end is a little square and there’s not one but two Mercedes stars – one embedded in the grill, another or- namenting the hood. The car has no license plates on either end and the interior – well, the interior is a mess. Pierwoss’ piece is a beat-up 1981 silver Toyota Corona that has been retrofitted as a slick black Mercedes-Benz C240 sedan from 2006. The car, which once belonged to the father of Pierwoss’ partner, got a two-pronged facelift from Mohammad al-Banna, an ingenious mechanic in Ouzai, and Pizant, a fashion-forward paint workshop in Mar Mikhael. On the inside an entire life can be gleaned from the effects of an absent owner – the feather duster delicately placed on the dashboard, the cassettes jammed into the console between the two front seats, the taxi driver’s calling card forgotten on the floor...’ (Kaelen Wilson-Goldie)