Armağan was invited to a Volvo factory in Sweden to paint his vision of the new Volvo S60, whose style has been kept a secret. Armağan is one of the few people to have access to the Volvo S60, set to enter the market in 2010.“I was honored to be asked to do this [painting] and I see this as an affirmation of my artistic talent,” he said, noting that he uses his hands and other senses to understand the shape of an object he is drawing. The blind artist has participated in many scientific studies.
Lukas Dohle, the director of Live Communication and Social Media at Volvo Cars in Göteborg, Sweden, said the car will not be unveiled until it debuts at the Geneva Auto Show next year and added that working with Armağan and listening to his ideas was very important for them.
Volvo Cars Design Director Peter Horbury said the Volvo S60 was more dynamic and artistic than all other previous Volvo models and added that the new car has a style that appeals to the senses. A preview film which shows a quick view of the drawings of the model was posted on the Internet on Oct. 19 and has since been published in close to 400 blogs around the world.
The video can be accessed on Volvo Cars’ Facebook page, where viewers can also leave comments. Anyone extra curious about the car can request Armağan draw details of the car.
Armağan was born unsighted to an impoverished family in İstanbul. He did not receive formal education and taught himself to write. He began to make pencil drawings on paper at the age of 6 and began painting on paper with his fingers and then making oil paintings on cardboard at the age of 18. Although blind, Armağan has the ability to draw pictures with depth and perception. He draws and paints by using his hands and primarily oil paints. When Armağan met an American woman named Joan Eroncel in 1994, his life changed completely. His name began to be heard on not only Turkish television channels, but on broadcasting networks like CNN and BBC. His works have been displayed in many exhibitions both in Turkey and around the world.
