The traditional art car tends to lead a sheltered, static existence. Once commissioned, photographed, and exhibited, these unique automotive sculptures typically find permanent homes behind velvet ropes in private collections, rarely seeing open road or actual traffic. Larry Warsh, however, has spent years collecting precisely those kinds of restricted-access objects, and his newest venture deliberately sends six of them back out into the bustling rhythm of city streets.
Titled "A World Within," the ambitious public art initiative runs across London throughout October, strategically timed to coincide with the prestigious Frieze art fair. The project unites an original, continuous body of work by Brooklyn-based artist KOZO with six signature vehicles belonging to The Peninsula London. Comprising two Rolls-Royce Phantoms, a Bentley Bentayga, a BMW i7, an electrified Austin taxi, and an LEVC, the collection marks the hotel’s very first dedicated art fleet. Rather than acting as separate pieces, the six vehicles carry a single, unbroken composition that reads as one massive work of art. Crucially, every single car remains fully in active service throughout the month, available for hotel guests to book, meaning a rolling contemporary gallery traverses London while the public rides comfortably inside it.
The Evolution of the Art Car Through CART Department
Larry Warsh established the CART Department precisely on the premise that an automobile can transcend its basic utilitarian function to become something much greater. Explaining the philosophical foundation of his platform, Warsh notes that he created CART Department to champion the intersection of cars, art, and pop culture, viewing automobiles as objects that have evolved far beyond mere transportation into sculptural and conceptual art pieces.
The expanding collection behind that vision now encompasses more than 70 one-of-a-kind art cars created by a roster of legendary and contemporary artists, including Keith Haring, Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holzer, Lawrence Weiner, Rashid Johnson, and Olafur Eliasson. By joining this illustrious lineage, KOZO—an acclaimed tattoo innovator whose precise micro-realism has fundamentally reshaped both the fine-art and tattooing worlds—brings his distinct visual vocabulary to an entirely new, mobile medium.
Merging Past and Present Through Detailed Narrative Design
KOZO’s striking designs for the Peninsula fleet are rendered to look like a sheet of paper being physically torn away. The hotel’s signature staff members, known as Peninsula Pages, appear to peel back the monochromatic outer skin of each vehicle to expose a rich, idyllic British landscape underneath. Lush parklands, grazing animals, and stately homes emerge in sophisticated shades of green and ochre that subtly echo Peninsula Green. These pastoral vistas are meticulously threaded with iconic motifs, including the Peninsula’s Guardian Lions and prominent local landmarks like the Wellington Arch.
This three-dimensional landscape is deliberately contrasted against the flatter, monochrome figures of the Pages. Rendered with clean outlines that pay homage to traditional tattoo-flash graphic styles, the historic imagery remains visually distinct from the contemporary figures discovering it. Discussing the conceptual depth of the project, KOZO explains that the collection brings the past and present into active conversation. According to the artist, these unexpected juxtapositions allow history and myth to feel alive again, inviting viewers to literally become part of the story by journeying directly within the moving art fleet. The design effectively allows the deep history of The Peninsula to surface through the metallic skin of vehicles that remain in daily, practical use.
Translating Artistic Vision to a Moving Canvas
The physical parameters of the vehicles set strict terms for the creative process. Over a rigorous three-month period, KOZO conceived and developed the artwork, beginning with digital sketches laid directly over precise photographs of each car model. The finished designs were subsequently fabricated into high-quality vinyl wraps by the expert detailing professionals at Topaz, working in close collaboration with The Peninsula.
Reflecting on the unique challenges of the commission, KOZO points out that a car is never a blank white canvas. The project forced him to translate his established visual language as a painter and tattoo artist onto a complex, moving vessel. The distinct proportions, curves, and functional elements of each specific model shaped every stage of the drawing process. The artist had to account for everything from the exact shape of the hood, trunk, and doors to minor functional elements like side reflectors, ensuring these components were harmoniously integrated into the overarching composition rather than fought against. Ultimately, the finished work had to remain entirely legible and striking even while the vehicle was constantly in motion.
Deep Heritage and a Full-Circle Moment in London
For Warsh, the partnership with The Peninsula London is a natural fit rooted in deep institutional history. The hotel group’s relationship with the automotive world extends nearly a century into the past, famously tracing back to a historic, record-setting order of Rolls-Royce Phantoms in Hong Kong. Warsh notes that The Peninsula London felt like an ideal partner because of their core identity, which possesses an incredible heritage genuinely anchored in automobiles.
Evidence of this automotive devotion is visible throughout the property, extending all the way up to the eighth floor, where the hotel houses a dedicated car-themed restaurant that tastefully celebrates its historical roots. Warsh’s own working relationship with The Peninsula predates the current art fleet, originating from an earlier collaboration where he arranged to exhibit a David Hockney BMW art car at the hotel—an experience that ultimately planted the seed for the current London project. For Warsh, seeing the new fleet come to life represents a satisfying, full-circle moment.
Expanding Access and Bringing Art to New Audiences
Accessibility remains a central argument for Warsh, who views the automobile as an effective vehicle for carrying contemporary art far beyond traditional museum and gallery walls, reaching people who might not otherwise seek it out. Emphasizing the educational potential of the medium, Warsh suggests that cars serve as a wonderful bridge between diverse audiences, allowing people to engage with art organically.
The timing and location amplify this mission. The Peninsula attracts a worldly, international clientele, and the convergence of Frieze week places the rolling artworks directly in front of the crowds most primed to notice and appreciate them. By placing these unique creations out on the open street rather than isolating them inside a traditional fair booth, Warsh and KOZO have succeeded in creating something rare: an art car designed not just to be looked at from behind a barrier, but one that invites the public to step inside and experience it firsthand.
