In a 2009 exhibit of contemporary Mexican art at the Nasher Museum, I saw a 20 minute film by Damian Ortega. "Escarabajo," 2005, is about driving the artist's beloved Volkswagen Beetle along picturesque countryside to a Beetle graveyard. Many times going to a museum leaves one too overwhelmed with images to really be affected by a specific work, but this piece has stayed with me, years later. I think it's because the idea of ceremonially burying an inanimate object is so odd. After all, we're not supposed to get attached to our purchases. They serve their function, then we throw them away or sell them. But maybe if we treasured our possessions, we wouldn't be so quick to fill up landfills and consume more goods? Maybe an old car is not a dying liability, but a trusted companion that has carried one through the best times. And if it's too far gone, maybe it deserves a few words.
Incidentally, the Volkswagen Beetle has inspired many other artists:
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