A Unique Automotive Art Performance in the Heart of Brussels

During the 2025 edition of Art Truc Troc, held at Espace Vanderborght, just steps away from Brussels’ Grand-Place, Ben Heine, the internationally acclaimed Belgian visual artist, delivered a large-scale automotive live art performance.
Over the course of a few days, he transformed a Jaecoo 7, a next-generation hybrid SUV, into a futuristic contemporary artwork, created entirely live in front of the public.

This immersive creation powerfully illustrates the convergence of contemporary art, technology, sustainable mobility, and live performance, core themes that define Ben Heine’s artistic research.

When a Car Becomes a Living Work of Art

For this performance, Ben Heine reimagined the traditional codes of live painting by selecting a hybrid vehicle as his artistic medium. Covered in a white vinyl wrap, the Jaecoo 7 gradually evolved into a three-dimensional, mobile canvas, painted live before the audience’s eyes.

Using Posca markers, the artist developed a visual language based on:

• dynamic, organic lines,

• vibrant, fluorescent colors,

• a fast, instinctive, and energetic gesture.

Each stroke evokes movement, energy flow, and speed, resonating directly with the automotive universe and the science of motion and innovation.

Contemporary Art, Technology and Sustainable Mobility

This performance is part of a broader, forward-looking reflection on the role of art in an era of technological transformation. For Ben Heine, the automobile goes far beyond its functional role, it becomes a symbol of transition, evolution, and projection into the future.

The Jaecoo 7, with its high-performance hybrid system, structured design, and focus on energy efficiency, embodies a new generation of vehicles where engineering, aesthetics, and sustainability coexist.
The artistic intervention extends this identity by creating an expressive graphic skin, conceived as a visual extension of the vehicle’s technological DNA.

The Jaecoo 7 as a Creative Catalyst

The choice of the Jaecoo 7 emerged naturally within the artist’s creative approach. Its powerful volumes, sharp lines, and high-tech aesthetic immediately inspired Ben Heine, known for hybrid projects combining drawing, photography, live performance, and digital art.

Through live painting on the vehicle, the artist aims to:

• humanize industrial design,

• reveal the emotional dimension of technology,

• create a dialogue between matter, energy, and imagination.

The result is a bold, immersive, and distinctly futuristic artwork, positioned at the crossroads of art, science, and mobility.

Art Truc Troc 2025: A Living Laboratory for Contemporary Live Art

Espace Vanderborght, an iconic venue for contemporary creation in Brussels, provided the ideal setting for this immersive experience. Visitors were able to follow the evolution of the artwork over several weeks, witnessing a creative process unfolding in real time.

This direct interaction with the public is central to Ben Heine’s practice. Live art becomes a collective experience, where observation, dialogue, and time actively contribute to the creation itself.

Ben Heine: An Artist at the Intersection of Disciplines

An internationally recognized Belgian visual artist, Ben Heine has spent more than two decades developing a multidisciplinary body of work that bridges contemporary art, technological innovation, and performance. His research explores movement, perception, augmented reality, and the hybridization of artistic media.

This automotive performance confirms his commitment to pushing the boundaries of live art, exploring new creative surfaces, and positioning artistic creation at the heart of contemporary challenges related to mobility, sustainability, and innovation.

Information & Useful Links

🌐 Official artist website: www.benheine.com
🚗 Discover the Jaecoo 7 and the brand: www.omodajaecoo.be
🎨 Art Truc Troc event: www.tructroc.be

Some of the studies made to prepare the live performance:

More photos: