The fetishism of the automobile existed long before Ford ever slapped a combustible engine into a Model A. One need only look at an exhibition of horse drawn carriages to realize the elaborate attention to detail of today’s car culture is rooted in the practice of long dead artisans from across the Atlantic.

In Carl Marx’s work Capital, he defines fetishism as the belief that value lies in cultural context instead of being something that has direct use value. He asks, “Why is an ounce of gold more valuable than a loaf of bread?” In essence, saying that people “fetishize” commodities, believing that they contain some abstract or unapparent value, or even imbuing these objects with significance.

Freud had a different take on fetishism, rooted in sexuality, of course. His explanation has to do with the male child, who, after discovering that his mother (the main object of his sexual attention) does not have a penis, chooses to substitute an inanimate object as the subject of this sexual attention. In this case, that inanimate object being a car.

Nowadays, I think that car culture rides the line between these theories, and though I would never accuse someone as substituting their mother’s missing penis for an automobile, I have heard many a person give their car a female name and treat it as something to dress up and take out.

Antebellum Gallery is known as the only fetish art gallery in America and perhaps the world. The upcoming exhibition, “Automolove,” is a celebration reveling in this fetishization of the automobile. In fact, one could argue that they seek to promote this objectification by offering space and events enough to create a community around it. A “Cigar and Shots” night is scheduled, as well as a “Sketch Salon” (I am assuming attendees will have the chance to sketch cars and car models?).

Antebellum owner and curator, Rick Castro, is an independent filmmaker and photographer working and living in Los Angeles. Rick has spent his adult life living and exploring the fringes of subcultures. He created Antebellum Gallery specifically to “showcase fetish as art, with the intent of giving fetish and erotic art the same respect it has long deserved in the art world and general public.” Castro calls Automolove, (named after the Queen song (1975) of the same name) “the first exhibition to present lust on wheels. In the world of fetish, anything can be eroticism and probably already is. Car culture is a part of Americana, and southern California in particular, where the love of cars is on display every day.”

He hopes this exhibition continues to bridge the worlds of fetish, art, subculture, gender, sexuality, contemporary culture, and car culture…with a kink!

“Automolove” opens August 2nd and includes art thematically concerned with car culture, as well as an “Erotic Car Lot.” and live bands: Swords of Fatima and Lightnin Bill Trio. There will be salons held weekly through the end of August.

Check Antebellum’s website for more details, including salon schedules, participating artists, and live entertainment.

Antebellum
1643 N. Las Palmas Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90028
323-856-0667
antebellum@earthlink.net

Title image courtesy David Mason Chlopecki & Jennifer Stratford.

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