The Patina Collective and artist Jesse Draxler debut C280: The Machine of Loving Grace, an immersive installation merging fine art, sound, and automotive culture. Centered on Draxler’s 1997 Mercedes C280, the project transforms the vehicle into both subject and instrument, framing a 3,000-mile cross-country journey as a dialogue between human psyche and machinery.
Created collaboratively with The Patina Collective, the installation features LED walls, projected imagery, rare vehicles, and ephemera—exploring themes of travel, rhythm, and the evolving relationship between body and machine. The work reflects Draxler’s rural Wisconsin roots and his fascination with utility, reflection, and technological intimacy.
The exhibit challenges automotive fetishism, positioning the car as a mirror of identity, memory, and motion—an introspective self-portrait mediated by movement and perception. Located at 401 NW 79th St, Miami, the installation opens December 4 and runs through December 6, with a media preview on December 3.