The intrepid Abby Clawson Low, who runs Hi + Low, discovered this vinyl sculpture of a VW bug by artist Margarita Cabrera. Referencing maquiladoro factories, where a company (say, Volkswagen) sends parts to a Mexican outpost to be assembled and exported, the work is more overtly political than Claes Oldenberg's, but still maintains a similar oversize appeal. This isn't the first time a Beetle has inspired art; Chris Burden, the eminent LA artist, in his 1974 piece Trans-fixed, was nailed to the hood of a Beetle for two minutes while the engine revved.

The Mexican-born Cabrera doesn't go in for anything quite that extreme. She shows at the New York gallery Sarah Meltzer, and currently lives in El Paso. Her other vinyl sculptures include a crumpling Hummer, and a bicycle and piano each meeting their end, like they're melting in the sun.

?David Coggins