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EDITORIAL

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“The details are not the details. They make the design.”

— Charles Eames

In every era of design, there comes a moment when the spotlight shifts — from the

finished object to the hands and minds behind it. Our February 2026 issue, “The

New Makers,” is dedicated to that shift. This edition is a tribute to creators who are

redefining what it means to make — not only through craftsmanship, but through curiosity,

experimentation, and cross-disciplinary thinking. Today’s maker is not confined

to a single studio or tradition; they move fluidly between code and clay, algorithm and

atelier, machine and hand.

We are witnessing a renaissance of process. Across design, architecture, fashion,

horology, and product innovation, the act of making has become visible again — transparent,

intentional, and story-driven. The new generation of makers embraces both heritage

technique and emerging technology, proving that innovation is strongest when it is

rooted in understanding. Tools may evolve, but purpose remains timeless: to create with

meaning, precision, and emotional resonance.

In this issue, we explore the studios, brands, and independent voices shaping this

movement. From experimental material research and computational design to revived

artisanal practices and bold collaborative models, each feature highlights a different

path toward authorship and excellence. Together, they reveal a global ecosystem where

making is no longer hidden behind the curtain — it is the narrative itself.

As you move through these pages, we invite you to look beyond the object and into

the process — the decisions, iterations, and risks that bring ideas to life. Because the

future of design will not only be imagined — it will be made.

Editor in Chief

Saleha Khanam

WHAT’S

10

ARCHITECTURE

Pine Flat Residence: A Fire-

Ready Off-Grid Retreat Above

Sonoma

08

ABOUT TIME

Reverse Panda Legacy:

OMEGA Speedmaster

Moonwatch Evolves Iconic

Design

14

F1

Icy White, Blue Accents: Racing

Bulls’ 2026 Livery Finds Its Own

Voice

12

ART

Echoes of the Past: Kid Cudi

Opens a New Chapter as Scott

Ramon in Paris

38

16

DESIGN

Hypercar for the Concert

Hall: Mohammad Limucci’s

Porochista Piano

INTERVIEW

MENA’s Rising Self-Made

Creative Studios

24

ARTIST

Liminal Selves: Anoushka

Mirchandani’s Diasporic

Portraits

52

18

INTERIOR

Quiet Precision: Hauvette &

Madani’s Japanese-Inspired

Parisian Home

ARCHITECTURE

Pink Concrete, Coastal

Light: Inside Pezo von

Ellrichshausen’s Lima House

INSIDE

www.magzoid.com February 2026

7

ABOUT TIME

8 February 2026

www.magzoid.com

REVERSE

PANDA

LEGACY

OMEGA SPEEDMASTER MOONWATCH

EVOLVES ICONIC DESIGN

OMEGA unveils two Speedmaster

Moonwatch models featuring bold

“reverse panda” dials—a striking

black base with contrasting white

subdials—that reinterpret the chronograph’s

storied heritage. Available in stainless steel

($10,400 USD) and proprietary 18k Moonshine

Gold ($49,300 USD), both join the permanent

collection as modern evolutions of

the Moonwatch legacy.

The sophisticated double-plate step dial

construction delivers a polished black top

plate with deep lacquer finish, complemented

by white lacquered subdials. This

monochromatic drama is framed by a black

ceramic bezel with tachymeter scale in durable

white enamel, protected by scratch-resistant

box-form sapphire crystal. The 42mm

cases—rhodium-plated hands and markers

in steel, gold elements in Moonshine—pair

with polished-brushed bracelets incorporating

OMEGA’s patented comfort release

adjustment system for ergonomic precision.

Powered by the manual-wind Co-Axial

Master Chronometer Calibre 3861, these

chronographs meet the industry’s highest

standards for magnetic resistance and precision,

backed by a five-year warranty. This

movement succeeds the legendary calibre

trusted by NASA astronauts on lunar missions,

blending historical significance with

contemporary mastery.

Moonshine Gold, OMEGA’s long-lasting

yellow gold alloy, offers enduring color stability

in the luxury variant, while the steel

model maintains accessible excellence.

Both configurations honor the Speedmaster’s

spacefaring heritage while advancing

material innovation and dial artistry.

For February 2026 collectors and enthusiasts—particularly

in the UAE’s discerning

watch market—these permanent additions

represent timeless engineering wrapped in

dramatic aesthetics, bridging 1960s moon

missions with modern horological precision.


9

ARCHITECTURE

PINE FLAT

RESIDENCE

A FIRE-READY

OFF-GRID RETREAT

ABOVE SONOMA

Faulkner Architects’ Pine Flat Residence

is an off-grid family retreat

perched 2,000 feet up in the foothills

northeast of Healdsburg, California,

on a 10‐acre site scarred by the 2017 Tubbs

and 2019 Kincade fires. Conceived as both

refuge and instrument for reading the landscape,

the house is wrapped in a non‐combustible

shell of weathering (Corten) steel

and glass that will slowly patinate into the

ridge over time.

Form, light and landscape

The architecture is organized as long,

low‐slung volumes that track the existing topography

and sit within the footprint of the

previous fire‐damaged foundation, minimizing

disturbance and visual impact on the

10 February 2026

www.magzoid.com

ridgeline. A continuous translucent skylight

runs the length of the main hallway, working

as a luminous spine that washes circulation

spaces with soft, diffuse light and orients

daily movement through the house.

Floor‐to‐ceiling glass panels are carefully

placed to frame specific views of the Mayacamas

Mountains and the distant Pacific

Coast Range, turning the living areas into

calibrated viewing platforms rather than

generic open plans. An elongated deck

extends from the main living zone, further

emphasizing horizontality and the sense of

hovering just above the terrain.

Material calm inside a tough shell

Behind the industrial Corten exterior, the

interior shifts to a warm, minimal palette of

native valley oak, concrete, and spare detailing.

Kitchen, dining, living, and primary

bedroom are arranged on a single, accessible

level, anticipating aging in place and reducing

vertical circulation demands. Native

oak cabinetry, flooring, and built‐ins bring

tactility and a subdued domesticity that contrasts

with the wind‐swept, sun‐bleached

landscape outside.

Existing concrete from the earlier house

is largely retained and reinterpreted: portions

become entry steps, light wells, and

basins, making the ground feel cut and held

rather than regraded. This reuse reinforces

the project’s low‐impact, long‐lifecycle ambitions.

Off‐grid systems and wildfire resilience

Pine Flat operates entirely off‐grid, relying

on a layered infrastructure of renewable and

passive systems. Power is generated via an

upgraded photovoltaic array with inverters

and on‐site battery storage, supplemented

by a small hydroelectric Pelton wheel that

harnesses spring‐fed water before it settles

into a concrete basin that can double as a

cooling pool. A geothermal heat pump handles

heating and cooling, while deep roof

overhangs, cross‐ventilation, and high‐performance

glazing manage summer heat

without over‐reliance on mechanical systems.

Water strategy is equally robust: spring‐fed

wells supply domestic use and feed dedicated

storage for an on‐site fire hydrant

and exterior sprinkler system, while 100% of

stormwater is captured and directed through

bioretention landscapes to a retention pond

that doubles as emergency firefighting storage.

Fire resilience is further enhanced by

non‐combustible materials, sliding ember

screens, and carefully detailed deck edges

that reduce fuel accumulation near the shell.

Recognised by AIA California’s Residential

Design Awards, Pine Flat is framed by

its architects as “a tool for living shaped by

the needs of the site,” merging high‐performance

resilience with a quiet, almost monastic

aesthetic. In a region where wildfires

are no longer exceptional events but recurring

realities, the house offers a measured

prototype for how architecture can both

withstand and deeply engage the changing

landscapes it occupies.


11

ART

12 February 2026

www.magzoid.com

ECHOES

OF THE

PAST

KID CUDI OPENS A

NEW CHAPTER AS

SCOTT RAMON IN

PARIS

Kid Cudi steps into the gallery as Scott Ramon, painter, with his

debut exhibition Echoes of the Past at Ruttkowski;68 in Paris’s

3rd arrondissement. Running from January 31 to March 1,

2026, the show gathers 10 paintings that translate the emotional

world long heard in his music into a vivid, geometric visual language.

From performer to painter

Following the premiere of his artist documentary Echoes of the Past

at Art Basel Miami Beach, Ramon’s first solo exhibition marks a deliberate

pivot into visual art rather than a side project. He began painting

just over a year ago, revisiting a childhood dream of becoming a

cartoonist and gradually developing a style where bold color blocks,

angular forms, and graphic outlines map his inner landscape.

The works revolve around Max, a recurring alter ego who embodies

his “inner child,” navigating dreamlike, sometimes fractured spaces

that mirror Ramon’s struggles with depression, anxiety, and self-worth

chronicled in his memoir and on his 2025 album Free. Curatorial texts

describe the canvases as charged with “juxtapositions of melancholy

and happiness,” suggesting that if they are not literal self-portraits,

they chart the pursuit of an empowered self rather than a victimised

one.

A geometric emotional atlas

Visually, Echoes of the Past introduces a signature that feels halfway

between animation stills and abstract painting: flattened planes, saturated

palettes, and recurring symbols that build an emotional atlas

rather than a linear narrative. Figures and faces are often fragmented

or partially obscured, echoing themes of identity, masking, and repair

that have been central to Cudi’s music since Man on the Moon.

Critic Amy Verner notes in the exhibition statement that the paintings

“revel in their own corners” of his psyche, each canvas framing a

different mood-state—from fragile hope to heavy introspection—without

resolving everything into a single, neat storyline. In that sense,

Ramon uses composition and color the way he uses melody and cadence:

as tools to hold conflicting feelings in the same frame.

Sound as atmosphere, not soundtrack

True to his multidisciplinary instincts, Ramon has created an original

10‐minute atmospheric, synth‐heavy soundscape to accompany the

show. Played continuously throughout the gallery, the piece is designed

less as a literal score to individual works and more as an ambient

field that pulls visitors into his world, blurring boundaries between

the listening experience fans know and the new visual language on

the walls.


13

F1

ICY WHITE, BLUE

ACCENTS

RACING BULLS’ 2026 LIVERY FINDS ITS OWN VOICE

Racing Bulls’ 2026 Formula 1 livery evolves one of last season’s fan‐favourite designs

into something sharper, cleaner, and more grown-up, while still clearly positioning the

team as Red Bull’s junior squad in the new Ford era. Unveiled alongside Red Bull’s

car at the joint Detroit launch, the look aligns visually with the group’s Ford partnership

without losing the team’s own identity.

14 February 2026 www.magzoid.com

The team retains its predominantly

white base, a palette that was widely

praised in 2025 for standing out on a

grid dominated by dark liveries. For

2026, that white is treated more like a tailored

suit than a blank canvas: panel lines

are cleaner, and sponsor marks are more

deliberately spaced, giving the chassis a

more minimal, almost “scandi” feel.

Sleek blue accents—slightly deeper and

more saturated than last year—now trace

key chamfers and aero edges along the

nose, sidepods, and engine cover. It’s a subtle

but clear nod to Ford, creating a visual

through-line with the darker, gloss‐blue Red

Bull while keeping Racing Bulls light and agile

in character.

Details that underline the new era

Compared with 2025, the 2026 design

tightens the blue detailing around the inlet

shapes and halo, emphasizing the car’s new

proportions under the 2026 rules. With reduced

overall size, simplified floors, and active

aerodynamics coming in, Racing Bulls

has intentionally kept high‐movement areas

less cluttered graphically so that wing elements

and edges read clearly on broadcast.

Team race suits, revealed a few days before

the car, mirror the car’s language: mainly

white with disciplined blue striping, creating

a cohesive visual when drivers walk the

grid or stand on the pit wall.

A platform for new and rising talent

On the sporting side, the livery debuts with a

refreshed line‐up: Liam Lawson stays on as

team leader, paired with British teenager Arvid

Lindblad, the only rookie stepping up to

Formula 1 in 2026. The clean, high‐contrast

design works as a kind of visual shorthand

for the team’s role—developing young drivers

within the Red Bull system while showcasing

Ford’s new Red Bull Ford Powertrains

hybrid package.

In a season defined by sweeping rule

changes and a new engine partner, the 2026

Racing Bulls livery does what good design

should: it looks fresh without trying too hard,

clearly belongs to the Red Bull/Ford family,

and gives a young, ambitious team a crisp,

confident visual identity of its own.


15

DESIGN

HYPERCAR FOR

THE CONCERT

HALL

MOHAMMAD LIMUCCI’S POROCHISTA PIANO


Iranian architect and designer Mohammad Limucci has reimagined

the concert grand piano as a sculptural hypercar

with Porochista, a nearly nine‐foot instrument that merges

biomorphic design, advanced composites, and discreet

digital tech. Awarded Silver at the A’ Design Awards 2025, the

piano positions itself as much a gallery centerpiece as a performance-grade

instrument.

Biomorphic form, hypercar logic

Porochista trades traditional timber cases for a high‐performance

mix of glass, metal, and matte black composites,

stretched across flowing, organic forms inspired by Luigi Colani’s

biomorphic philosophy. The rear section appears to float

above a base carved with angular voids and geometric cutouts,

recalling the active aero and visual lightness of brands

like Pagani and Koenigsegg. These complex, compound surfaces

are produced using CNC machining, molding, and casting,

placing the piano firmly outside conventional cabinet-making

techniques.

Despite its sci‐fi presence, Limucci applies automotive logic:

every curve and negative space is justified both visually and

structurally, creating the impression that the instrument could

accelerate while remaining perfectly still. The result is a grand

piano that reads like a concept car for the living room, penthouse,

or avant‐garde concert hall.

Digital layer, analog soul

The most visible technological intervention is a flush‐mounted

20‐inch touchscreen integrated into the body. Rather than

acting as a gimmicky light show, the interface focuses on

working‐musician needs: recording and playback, animated

notation display, and digital score management. A hidden,

touch‐activated compartment slides out to hold physical sheet

music, preserving the piano’s minimalist silhouette when not

in use.

Crucially, the Porochista remains a fully acoustic, 88‐key

grand, with the digital functions designed not to interfere with

its tonal purity. A’ Design Award jurors highlighted this balance

between sculptural futurism and acoustic integrity as a key

reason for its recognition in the Musical Instruments category.

Tradition, reframed

Limucci describes Porochista as a fusion of tradition, modernity,

and technology, developed between Tehran and Zagreb

and informed by both automotive culture and Persian‐inflected

interior design. Measuring roughly 8.7 by 6.2 feet, the instrument

preserves the spatial impact of a concert grand while

completely rewriting its visual language.

In a category where silhouettes have remained largely static

for over a century, Porochista suggests what classical instruments

might become when filtered through contemporary industrial

design—less period drama, more high‐velocity sculpture

that still sounds like home to a concert pianist.


17

ARCHITECTURE

PINK

CONCRETE,

COASTAL

LIGHT

INSIDE PEZO VON ELLRICHSHAUSEN’S LIMA HOUSE

Lima House by Chilean studio Pezo von

Ellrichshausen is a monolithic residence

perched on farmland near Chepica in Chile’s

O’Higgins Region, conceived as a single horizontal

piece resting lightly on the land. Entirely cast

in pink‐pigmented concrete, the house echoes the

warm tones of the surrounding soil, its dusky rose

hue shifting subtly as coastal sunlight moves across

the façade. The result is a structure that feels at

once archaic and contemporary, grounded yet responsive

to its environment.

Geometry and plan

The house follows a strict rectangular plan that is

deliberately complicated by curved walls forming

quarter‐cylinder rooms at each corner. These curved

volumes generate a continuous ring of spaces that

can be read as a looping circuit, blurring distinctions

between circulation, living, and threshold. The

architects describe the arrangement as “a fictional

encounter between two alphabetical figures, T and

U,” a quiet diagram of how linear and curved geometries

intersect.

Some rooms turn inward toward a central courtyard

pool, while others open toward vineyards,

fields, and distant mountains, alternating between

introspection and expansive outlook. This oscillation

18 February 2026

www.magzoid.com

reinforces a maze‐like feeling within a plan

that initially appears disciplined and simple.

Light, section and atmosphere

Each room is topped by a high, vaulted ceiling

with a central skylight that pulls daylight

deep into the concrete volume. Light enters

as focused shafts rather than diffuse wash,

creating evolving patterns of shadow that

change across the day and accentuate the

building’s mass. Deeply punched windows

and a curved concrete eave further choreograph

light and view, emphasizing orientation

as one moves around the perimeter.

The house is oriented east‐west to follow

the sun’s path, setting up a rhythm of openings

that alternate between opacity and

transparency. This balance preserves privacy

while maintaining a continuous visual dialogue

with the surrounding valley landscape.

Material precision and interiors

Externally, the pink concrete is left bare, its

surface marked only by the grain and lines

of the casting boards, reinforcing a sense

of material honesty. Inside the more private

spaces, sliding glass doors enclose rooms

lined with recycled timber boards, whose

texture quietly recalls the formwork used

in the concrete. The timber moderates the

brightness of the courtyard and softens the

acoustics, tempering the monumentality of

the concrete shell.

These subtle differences in finish—raw

concrete outside, painted or timber‐lined

surfaces within—sharpen the threshold between

exposed landscape and sheltered

interior. Together, they produce a domestic

environment that feels both robust and finely

tuned.

Context, clients and authorship

Lima House was designed for a retired couple

seeking a home that could register the

vastness of the rural setting while remaining

compact and carefully controlled. The

300‐square‐meter dwelling continues Pezo

von Ellrichshausen’s ongoing exploration

of concrete as both structural medium and

atmospheric device in Chilean landscapes.

Led by Mauricio Pezo and Sofía von Ellrichshausen,

the studio again uses a deceptively

rigorous plan to create a rich spatial

sequence—part cloister, part labyrinth, entirely

attuned to place.


19

DESIGN

Tiffany Blue in

Motion

MVRDV WRAPS BEIJING FLAGSHIP IN A SCULPTED GLASS VEIL


Tiffany & Co.’s new flagship in Beijing’s Taikoo‐Li Sanlitun

district trades conventional storefront glazing for

a 20‐meter‐high, rippling façade of translucent glass

fins designed by Dutch studio MVRDV. The result is an

ethereal, Tiffany‐Blue presence that reads less like retail cladding

and more like a luminous urban jewel.

Fluid glass inspired by jewelry

The four‐storey building is wrapped in vertically oriented, curving

glass fins that rise the full height of the structure, forming

a continuous veil that softens views while retaining permeability.

Their gently curved profiles are directly inspired by Elsa

Peretti’s iconic Bone Cuff, translating the sensual geometry

of jewelry into architectural scale. Manufactured locally from

responsibly recycled glass, the fins introduce depth, rhythm,

and a subtly undulating surface that appears to shift as visitors

move around the corner site.

From oblique angles, the dense layering of fins amplifies

the play of light and shadow, making the façade feel as if it

is constantly changing. Up close, glimpses between the fins

offer carefully framed views into the interior, echoing the way a

jewelry case reveals and withholds sparkle.

A Tiffany Blue lantern

Color and light are treated as primary materials. The glass was

selected for its natural icy‐blue tone, closely aligned with Tiffany’s

signature hue and calibrated to stand out amid Sanlitun’s

luxury retail context. At night, integrated lighting modules—

discreetly concealed within custom mounting brackets—transform

the building into a radiant “Tiffany Blue lantern,” maintaining

a pure, diffuse glow without visible hardware.

This is MVRDV’s fifth bespoke façade for Tiffany & Co., extending

an ongoing series that explores innovative materials

and expressive three‐dimensional forms as architectural counterparts

to the brand’s craftsmanship. Here, that exploration is

joined by a rigorous sustainability agenda: the entire façade

system is fully demountable, allowing every fin and bracket to

be removed without damage for future reuse or recycling.


21

AUTOMOTIVE

GLOSS BLUE,

NEW ERA

RED BULL RACING UNVEILS RB22 FOR 2026

Red Bull Racing has launched its 2026 Formula 1 campaign

with the reveal of the RB22 at Detroit’s historic

Michigan Central Station, now Ford’s tech hub and

the symbolic home of Red Bull Ford Powertrains. The

event marks the team’s first season as a full works operation,

designing both chassis and power unit in-house in partnership

with Ford.

Throwback gloss, forward-looking message

The RB22 livery abandons the now-familiar matte treatment for

a high-gloss blue finish inspired by Red Bull’s original 2005

F1 car. The team describes it as a “heritage” look that sharpens

reflections under floodlights and makes the sun-and-bull

branding read richer and more premium at speed. The color

choice also nods to Ford’s signature blue, underscoring the

new power unit alliance.

This visual reset mirrors a deeper operational shift. From

2026, Red Bull Ford Powertrains supplies a completely reworked

1.6‐liter V6 hybrid built to the new rules, with roughly

50% of total output coming from the MGU‐K and the combus-

tion engine running on 100% sustainable fuel. Active aerodynamics

replace traditional DRS, with movable elements on

both wings allowing the car to toggle between high-downforce

and low-drag modes over a lap.

Verstappen stays, Hadjar steps up

On the driver front, Max Verstappen remains the team’s spearhead

while French‐Algerian rising star Isack Hadjar is promoted

from Racing Bulls to partner him for 2026. Hadjar arrives off

an impressive rookie F1 season that included multiple points

finishes, standout performances in Monaco and Spain, and a

historic podium that made him the youngest French and first

Arab driver to reach the rostrum.

Red Bull positions this pairing as a blend of proven championship

pedigree and raw emerging speed as the grid enters

an unpredictable regulatory reset. Pre‐season testing begins in

Barcelona on January 26, with the season opener in Melbourne

on March 8, where the RB22’s gloss‐blue, Ford‐powered new

era will face its first true competitive test.



23

ARTIST

24 February 2026

www.magzoid.com

LIMINAL

SELVES:

ANOUSHKA

MIRCHANDANI’S

DIASPORIC

PORTRAITS

Anoushka Mirchandani paints translucent

women who slip between

worlds—half‐emerging, half‐dissolving—mapping

the quiet fractures

of immigrant womanhood with unflinching

intimacy. Born in 1988 in Pune, India,

and now based in San Francisco, her practice

probes ancestry, gender, and cultural

assimilation through figures poised in repose

and rebellion, their bodies both defiant and

fugitive against sociopolitical backdrops.

Mirchandani’s visual language emerged

from personal rupture: emigrating young to

the United States unlocked new freedoms

as a woman but demanded she negotiate

her identity as Indian, immigrant, Other.

Figures in her paintings—often friends, family,

or self‐portraits—recline nonchalantly,

limbs and torsos blending into raw canvas

or sage‐imprinted grounds, delineated by

expressive oil stick outlines that evoke both

presence and erasure. These works reclaim

the female body from shame and surveillance,

transforming patriarchal constraints

into spaces of agency and self‐reparation.

Expanding beyond acrylic and pastel,

recent pieces incorporate silk, sculpted

wooden thorns, and multisensory elements,

creating archives that trace identity’s micro‐tensions

across India and America. Her

compositions capture liminal states: women

unbothered by modesty’s gaze yet partially

suppressed, embodying the push‐pull of

assimilation where parts of the self are foregrounded

or forced underground.

Solo exhibitions include Galerie Isa, Mumbai

(2023); UTA Artist Space, Los Angeles

(2023); Rhodes Contemporary Art, London

(2021); and Glass Rice, San Francisco

(2020). Group shows and fairs encompass

BODE Berlin (2023), Marianne Boesky Gallery,

NYC (2022), and The Armory Show,

NYC (2022–2023). Awards such as the SFA

Grant from the San Francisco Arts Commission

(2022–2023), Emerging Artist Award

2025, and Artist‐in‐Residence at Silver Art

Projects, NY (2025) affirm her rising prominence.

For Magzoid readers attuned to cultural

hybridity and luxury’s undercurrents,

Mirchandani’s paintings offer a poignant

meditation on diaspora’s enduring beauty

and unease—portraits that whisper of belonging

forged in perpetual becoming.


25

F1

AUDI REVOLUT

F1 TEAM

FOUR RINGS ENTER A NEW ERA IN BERLIN

Audi has officially launched the Audi Revolut

F1 Team in Berlin, marking the first public appearance

of its factory Formula 1 outfit and

debuting the Audi R26 race car that will enter

the championship in 2026. Nearly 400 guests

gathered at Kraftwerk, a former power plant

in the German capital, to see the new livery,

team wear, and driver line-up unveiled under

an immersive, motorsport‐themed staging.


The Audi R26 is powered by the AFR

26 Hybrid, a new-generation power

unit developed at Audi’s Motorsport

Competence Center in Neuburg

an der Donau. The engine—combining an

approximately 400 kW 1.6‐liter V6 turbo

running on 100% sustainable fuel with an

electric motor delivering up to 350 kW—

aligns with Formula 1’s 2026 shift to a near

50/50 split between combustion and electric

power. The unit was fired up in the chassis

shortly before Christmas in Hinwil, and the

car completed its first rollout during a filming

day at Circuit de Barcelona‐Catalunya on

January 9.

From January 26–30, Audi will conduct a

closed‐door shakedown in Barcelona, followed

by official pre‐season tests in Bahrain

in February before its race debut at the Australian

Grand Prix on March 8.

New rules, new aero, new boost mode

Audi enters Formula 1 at the moment of its

largest regulatory overhaul. From 2026, cars

will feature active aerodynamics with front

and rear wings that can be adjusted on the

move, replacing the current DRS system.

Instead of a simple open‐rear‐wing overtake

aid, drivers will use a “boost mode” that deploys

maximum electrical power from the

hybrid system for attacking or defending,

leveraging up to 350 kW from the MGU‐K.

Fuels must be fully sustainable, and overall

thermal efficiency is expected to rise

as teams adapt to higher electrical output,

doubled braking‐energy recovery, and the

removal of the MGU‐H. Audi’s programme is

tightly aligned with these changes, with bp

serving as its exclusive partner for sustainable

fuels.

Identity, livery and fan collection

The Berlin event also introduced Audi Revolut

F1 Team’s new visual identity—distinct

from but clearly rooted in the Audi design

language. The R26 livery centers on Titanium,

referencing Audi’s motorsport heritage

and signalling precision and performance,

accented by a new Audi Red that serves

as the team’s signature highlight color. Title

partner Revolut features prominently on

the car, reinforcing the team’s tech‐forward,

globally oriented positioning.

Team clothing, driver overalls, and a coordinated

fan collection mirror this palette, with

merchandise set to go on sale from February

19 via the team website and adidas. The

launch also juxtaposed the R26 with historic

Audi race cars and the new RS e‐tron GT

performance—Audi’s most powerful road

car at 680 kW (925 hp)—highlighting continuity

between past motorsport projects and

this new F1 venture.

Leadership and driver line-up

The team is headquartered in Hinwil, Switzerland,

building on the existing Sauber

infrastructure while adopting a new organisational

structure under Audi. Ex‐Ferrari

team boss Mattia Binotto leads the overall

F1 project, with former Red Bull sporting director

Jonathan Wheatley serving as Team

Principal and James Key as Technical Chief.

On the driving side, Audi has opted for

a blend of experience and youth. Veteran

German driver Nico Hülkenberg—boasting

over 250 Grand Prix starts—returns to a full

works seat, bringing deep development and

race‐craft knowledge. He is joined by Brazilian

rising star Gabriel Bortoleto, who impressed

in Formula 2 and then as a Sauber/

Audi junior, forming a pairing Audi describes

as a “combination of experience and youth”

that already worked together at Sauber in

2025.

Strategic flagship for the brand

Audi frames its F1 entry as a strategic flagship

within a broader brand realignment

toward electrification, sustainable performance,

and global brand-building. The cost

cap and the sport’s worldwide reach make

the programme an “economically attractive

framework,” while the technical regulations

directly reflect areas Audi wants to lead in—

high‐output hybrid systems, sustainable fuels,

and advanced aerodynamics.

Motorsport has long been described

as part of Audi’s DNA—from pioneering

mid‐engine Grand Prix cars to quattro rally

domination and hybrid and electric successes

at Le Mans and the Dakar Rally. With Audi

Revolut F1 Team, the brand aims to extend

that lineage into Formula 1, using the R26 as

both a laboratory for future road‐car technologies

and a highly visible symbol of its next

chapter.

A dedicated Content Hub has gone live

alongside the launch, serving as a central

platform for media and fans to access news,

technical insights, and race‐weekend updates,

reinforcing the team’s digital‐first engagement

strategy.


27

AUTOMOTIVE


BUGATTI F.K.P.

HOMMAGE

A SINGULAR TRIBUTE TO PIËCH AND THE VEYRON ERA

Bugatti’s F.K.P. Hommage is a one-off hyper-GT that

looks back as intensely as it looks forward—honoring

the Veyron, the W16, and the man who made both possible,

Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Karl Piëch. Revealed as the

second commission under Programme Solitaire, it embodies

Bugatti’s most exclusive tier of coachbuilding, limited to just

two fully bespoke creations per year.

Engineering: W16 at its absolute peak

Built on the ultimate evolution of Bugatti’s W16 platform, the

F.K.P. Hommage uses the 1,600 hp quad‐turbo engine from the

Chiron Super Sport—the very specification that pushed a Chiron

prototype beyond 300 mph in 2019. Larger turbochargers,

upgraded intercoolers, strengthened cooling circuits, and a reinforced

dual‐clutch gearbox bring the Piëch‐conceived W16

to its technical pinnacle. Bugatti notes this will be among the

final projects powered by the W16 before the brand transitions

to its new V16 architecture with the Tourbillon successor.

This mechanical climax traces directly back to a pivotal

moment: Piëch sketching the conceptual W‐engine layout on

a bullet train in Japan, itself a development of Volkswagen’s

VR‐family that evolved from VR6 to W8, W12, and ultimately

W16. By staggering cylinders in a compact wide‐bank ar-

rangement, engineers compressed what would normally be

a roughly one‐meter engine into about 645 mm, enabling the

Veyron’s short 2,700 mm wheelbase and its uncanny blend of

civility and brutality.

Exterior: a Veyron reimagined, not recreated

Visually, the F.K.P. Hommage starts with the Veyron’s key gestures—the

leaning‐back stance, dropping beltline, and composed,

non‐wedge profile—but refines every surface. The

horseshoe grille is now a fully three‐dimensional element, machined

from a solid aluminium block and flowing seamlessly

into the surrounding bodywork rather than reading as a separate

appliqué. The color split has been realigned to match

the updated panel layout, creating a cleaner, more coherent

division across the car.

Larger front air intakes feed the more powerful engine, while

the iconic roof‐level air ducts remain positioned just behind

the occupants’ heads, preserving one of the Veyron’s most

recognizable signatures. Updated wheel sizes—20 inches at

the front, 21 at the rear—combined with current‐generation

Michelin tyres improve stance and dynamic capability simultaneously.


29

HOROLOGICAL WONDERS


Jacob & Co. has unveiled the God of

Time, a 60-piece limited edition that

pushes high watchmaking into almost

mythic territory, debuting the fastest

tourbillon ever created to celebrate founder

Jacob Arabo’s 60th birthday. The piece

blends record‐shattering mechanics with

sculptural storytelling inspired by Greek antiquity.

DIVINE

VELOCITY

JACOB & CO.’S “GOD OF TIME” BREAKS THE

TOURBILLON SPEED RECORD

Record-breaking 4-second tourbillon

At the heart of the watch is the new

hand‐wound Calibre JCAM60, whose tourbillon

completes a full rotation every four

seconds—15 times faster than the traditional

one‐minute standard. Achieving this

required an ultra‐light titanium carriage

weighing just 0.27 grams, paired with a constant‐force

system that tempers the immense

energy required at such speed. Despite this

extreme rate, the movement still delivers an

impressive 60‐hour power reserve.

Architecture and mythological design

The 44.5 mm rose gold case is modeled like

a Greek temple column, its fluted flanks reinforcing

the architectural theme. On the dial,

an 18K rose gold sculpture of Chronos—the

Greek god of time—stands over a deep blue

aventurine backdrop that evokes a starry

night sky. A sapphire tourbillon bridge

leaves the four‐second cage almost completely

exposed, turning the complication

into a kinetic centerpiece.

A personal, 60-piece edition

Limited to 60 pieces, the God of Time directly

references Arabo’s milestone birthday, a

tribute underscored by his engraved portrait

and signature on the caseback. The watch

is fitted to a blue alligator strap with an 18K

rose gold folding clasp, and pricing is available

upon request, with reports placing it

around 360,000 USD before taxes. For collectors,

it reads as both a technical manifesto

and a highly personal monument—an object

where speed, symbolism, and spectacle

are held in precise mechanical balance.


31

AUTOMOTIVE

32 February 2026

www.magzoid.com

RETRO NOSE,

MODERN NISMO

THE 2027 NISSAN Z DOUBLES DOWN ON ANALOG THRILLS

Nissan has given the Z an early refresh for the 2027

model year, quietly debuting the facelift at the 2026

Tokyo Auto Salon with a sharper face, heritage color

palette, and the headline change fans have been

shouting for: a manual Z Nismo. Rather than chasing EV hype,

the brand leans into the coupe’s purist appeal to keep the Fairlady

Z relevant against rivals like the GR Supra and Subaru

BRZ.

Design: A G‐Nose callback and new character

Visually, the update does exactly what the community has been

asking for. The controversial single-opening “slab” grille is replaced

by a more sculpted two-piece design with a body‐color

crossbar, clearly inspired by the 1970s Fairlady 240ZG

“G‐nose” aero package. Combined with a cleaner bumper and

the deletion of the front Nissan badge in favor of a simple Z

emblem, the car now reads wider, lower, and more premium.

A new hero hue, Unryu Green (Cloud Dragon Green), references

the classic Grand Prix Green of the S30 generation and

instantly shifts the Z’s vibe from tuner to modern‐retro grand

tourer. Fresh bi‐tone 19‐inch alloys reinforce that brief, giving

the coupe a more mature “gentleman driver” stance than the

earlier bright yellows and reds. Inside, a tan leather interior option

calms the previous red/blue themes and moves the cabin

closer to GT territory.

Under the skin: subtle but meaningful tweaks

Mechanically, the core 3.0‐liter twin‐turbo V6 remains unchanged,

continuing to deliver around 298 kW and 475 Nm

through either a six‐speed manual or nine‐speed automatic

in the standard range. Instead, Nissan focuses on how the Z

drives: larger‐diameter monotube shocks with bigger pistons

and an upgraded braking package improve ride quality, response,

and repeatable stopping power. Revised body elements

trim front lift by roughly 3.3% and cut drag by about 1%,

making the facelift more than just a styling exercise.

Nismo with a stick: the spec everyone asked for

The biggest news sits at the top of the range. After vocal backlash

to the automatic‐only Z Nismo, Nissan has confirmed a

six‐speed manual option for the hardcore variant. The manual

Nismo pairs its boosted V6 with bespoke ECU and ignition

mapping, revised suspension components, and a stiffer chassis

tune aimed squarely at driver engagement.

Braking is upgraded using hardware derived from the

now‐discontinued GT‐R, including lighter two‐piece front rotors

to manage heat on track days. Together, these changes turn

the Nismo into the enthusiast spec many felt was missing—

rear‐drive, twin‐turbo, and three pedals in an era where that

combination is rapidly disappearing.

A bridge between JDM nostalgia and a new generation

Arriving just as analog sports cars become rarer and more precious,

the 2027 Z facelift feels like a conscious statement of

intent. The car positions itself as a bridge between classic JDM

culture—best represented by the G‐nose cue and heritage

color—and a younger audience raised on sim racing, content

creation, and online car culture. For Nissan, it’s proof that the Z

still carries cultural weight; for enthusiasts, it’s reassurance that

someone in a boardroom is still reading the comments.


33

ARTIST

34 February 2026

www.magzoid.com

VERDANT

DREAMS:

MULGIL

KIM’S ART

ROAD

ODYSSEY

Mulgil Kim (b. 1988) transforms

nature’s quiet details into surreal

reveries, where grass becomes

ocean waves, trees turn into merry-go-rounds,

and fields dissolve into starlit

expanses. This South Korean painter’s work

captures emotional landscapes born from

an extraordinary journey—a solo Art Road

project spanning 673 days across 46 countries

and five continents, yielding over 400

paintings that blend memory, travel, and

imagination.

Feeling confined by studio walls during

her fine arts studies, Kim embarked on this

odyssey to paint directly from lived encounters

with the world’s diverse terrains. Returning

to Korea, she launched the National

Art Road series, channeling seasonal shifts

and human stories through lush greens

that evoke tranquility and introspection.

Her recurring motifs—a girl in a blue dress,

playful animals, dreamlike prairies—invite

open-ended interpretation, blurring reality’s

edges to foster personal resonance.

Central to Kim’s lexicon is grass, reimagined

with boundless invention: as brooms

sweeping snow into blooms, curtains unveiling

giant cats, or rinds cradling beachside

watermelons. These transformations celebrate

nature not as backdrop but as an

emotional partner, its forms breathing narratives

of serenity amid modern haste. Light

and scale shift intuitively, turning observed

places into felt atmospheres that linger like

half-remembered dreams.

Exhibitions across Korea include solo

shows at PBG Gallery (Echoes of Evergreen,

2025), Arte K Gallery, and CICA Museum

of Art, alongside collaborations with Samsung

Electronics and Korean broadcasters.

Recognitions from the National Museum of

Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, affirm

her role in rekindling nature’s gentle power

through art.

For Magzoid’s discerning audience, Kim’s

canvases offer respite—a lush invitation to

pause, breathe, and rediscover the subtle

wonders thriving within and around us.


35

F1

36 February 2026

www.magzoid.com

SF-26

FERRARI’S FIRST CLEAN-SHEET CAR OF F1’S 2026 HYBRID ERA

Ferrari’s SF-26 is the seventy-second single-seater the team has built for the Formula

1 World Championship and its first completely clean-sheet response to the 2026 regulations

reset. Unveiled at Fiorano, the car inaugurates a new technical cycle with lighter

architecture, rethought aerodynamics, and a radically updated hybrid power unit.

The SF-26 abandons the ground‐effect

philosophy introduced in 2022,

switching to a chassis and bodywork

concept focused on reduced mass

and aerodynamic efficiency rather than tunnel‐generated

downforce. Cleaner surfaces,

simpler floor geometry, and tightly controlled

bodywork contours are designed to work in

concert with the 2026 active‐aerodynamics

package, which replaces traditional DRS.

As per the new rules, the car incorporates

movable front and rear wing elements that

allow Ferrari to vary drag and downforce

balance on the straights and through corners,

integrating these modes into the overall

vehicle concept from day one. Technical

director Loïc Serra describes the SF-26 as

the result of an extended concept phase

aimed at baking in flexibility for in‐season

development rather than chasing early, rigid

solutions.

067/6 power unit and boosted hybrid system

Under the engine cover sits Ferrari’s new

067/6 power unit, a 1.6‐liter, 90‐degree turbocharged

V6 paired with a significantly

uprated energy‐recovery system. The combustion

engine delivers around 400 kW (approximately

536 hp) via a single turbocharger

spinning up to 150,000 rpm, running on

99% sustainable fuel in line with the 2026

regulations.

The MGU‐H is gone; in its place, the

MGU‐K becomes the sole motor‐generator,

with power output boosted to 350 kW—more

than double the previous era—making the

electric side of the hybrid system nearly

equal in output to the combustion unit. Energy

is stored in a lithium‐ion battery pack

with a minimum mass of 35 kg, capable of

handling a maximum state‐of‐charge delta

of 4 MJ and up to 9 MJ of energy throughput

under charging, at operating voltages up to

1,000 V.

Power unit director Enrico Gualtieri notes

that this is “a clear shift in philosophy rather

than a simple evolution,” making the hybrid

system more structurally integrated into the

car’s architecture than at any point since

2014.

Chassis and key technical specs

The SF-26’s chassis is constructed from a

carbon‐fibre composite honeycomb with integrated

halo cockpit protection, paired with

carbon‐fibre bodywork and a moulded carbon

seat. A longitudinal Ferrari gearbox with

eight forward gears and reverse transmits

power, complemented by a hydraulically

controlled rear differential.

Braking is handled by Brembo ventilated

carbon discs front and rear with electronically

controlled rear brakes, while suspension

remains push‐rod at both ends to suit the

new aerodynamic package and weight‐distribution

requirements. The car runs on

18‐inch wheels front and rear, and the complete

weight, including coolant, oils, and

driver, is set at 770 kg per the new minimum.

Livery and the start of a new cycle

Visually, the SF-26’s livery reconnects Ferrari’s

past and present, reintroducing gloss

paint after seven seasons of matte finishes to

emphasize sculpted surfaces and light play

over the revised bodywork. The design deliberately

frames this car as the first of a new

regulatory cycle, signalling a fresh chapter

after the ground‐effect era.

Ferrari characterises the SF-26 as the outcome

of a “major collaborative effort” across

Maranello, aligning chassis, aerodynamics,

and power unit departments around one of

the biggest technical overhauls in modern

Formula 1. With unknowns baked into both

chassis and engine rules, the car is less a

final answer than an adaptable platform—

designed to evolve as Ferrari and the rest

of the grid learn how to race in F1’s 2026

landscape.


37

INTERVIEW

MANOJ SUREKA

CEO & Managing Partner,

Synergy Fin. Consulting

38 February 2026

www.magzoid.com

THE CREATIVE CEO: BUILDING A

PROFITABLE BRAND AT THE

INTERSECTION OF ART,

DESIGN, AND COMMERCE

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

In an era where creativity is shaping industries and imagination is powering some of the world’s most dynamic businesses, Manoj Sureka

stands at the forefront of a powerful shift, bringing creativity into finance. As the Managing Partner of Synergy Fin. Consulting, Manoj has

become one of the UAE’s leading voices in alternative funding, structured finance, and entrepreneurial growth.

Q: How has the role of the Creative CEO evolved in design-led

businesses today?

In today’s market, the Creative CEO is no

longer just a custodian of aesthetics, but a

strategic leader who uses design thinking to

drive growth, relevance, and long-term brand

value.

Q: Why is design central to competitive advantage

in the UAE market?

The UAE is visually sophisticated and experience-driven.

Design is often the first point

of trust, making it a critical differentiator in a

highly competitive, premium-focused market.

Q: How do you align creativity with commercial

outcomes without diluting originality?

By grounding creativity in purpose, every design

decision must support a clear business

objective while staying true to the brand’s

core identity.

Q: What strategic role does branding play

in scaling creative businesses?

Branding creates consistency and credibility,

enabling creative businesses to scale across

markets while maintaining clarity and recognition.

Q: How do Creative CEOs measure the

success of design-led initiatives?

Beyond aesthetics, success is measured through engage-

ment, conversion, customer loyalty, and the brand’s ability to

command premium value.

Q: How important is cultural awareness in

design-led leadership in the UAE?

It is essential. Successful creative leaders

respect regional sensibilities while delivering

globally relevant design narratives.

Q: How do you balance innovation with

brand discipline?

By building strong brand systems that allow

experimentation within clearly defined creative

boundaries.

Q: What leadership qualities are critical

when managing creative teams at scale?

Clarity, trust, and decisiveness, paired with

the ability to translate vision into actionable

frameworks.

Q: What is the biggest strategic risk creative-led

brands face today?

Confusing novelty with value. Design must

solve problems, not simply attract attention.

Q: What will define the next generation of

Creative CEOs in the region?

Leaders who can integrate art, design, and

commerce seamlessly using creativity as a

strategic growth lever, not just a visual statement.


39

ARTIST

40 February 2026

www.magzoid.com

FUTURE

ECOLOGIES:

THE LIVING

WORLDS

OF SARAH

MARTIN‐NUSS

Sarah Martin‐Nuss builds luminous,

shifting ecosystems on canvas, inviting

viewers into worlds where painting

behaves less like an image and

more like a living organism in motion. Working

across painting, drawing, performance,

and sound, the Brooklyn‐based artist draws

from biological systems, post‐humanist theory,

and the entangled logics of ecology to

propose a reality in which all beings, forces,

and materials co‐author the shape of time.

Born in 1992 in Corpus Christi, Texas,

Martin‐Nuss studied Fine Art and English Literature

at Austin College before completing

an MFA in Painting and Drawing at Pratt Institute

in 2024, alongside additional studies

in visual arts in Cannes and art practice in

New York. Parallel training in performance,

sound, and video—together with work as

producer, songwriter, and vocalist for the

avant‐pop duo Dancing In Tongues—infuses

her visual language with a distinctly choreographic

sense of rhythm and breath.

In recent solo exhibitions such as Future

Currents and Pouring Water Into Water at

Rachel Uffner Gallery, and Open Systems

at Prince & Wooster, Martin‐Nuss explores

currents as both metaphor and material:

flows of water, information, memory, and

desire that circulate through and reshape

environments. Her works dissolve binaries

of figure and ground, natural and technological,

abstraction and landscape, offering

porous, borderless fields where forms

emerge, erode, and recombine in perpetual

metamorphosis.

The paintings are built through an iterative

process of layering, flattening, erasing,

and re‐inscribing, a method that mirrors

ecological cycles of growth and decay.

Works on paper serve as intimate laboratories

for these ideas, compressing entire

climates into small formats that nonetheless

pulse with the same vibrating density as her

large‐scale canvases.

Martin‐Nuss’s work has been featured in

exhibitions at NADA New York, PhillipsX,

Pfizer Factory, Steuben Gallery, and the Art

Museum of South Texas, and has appeared

in platforms including Two Coats of Paint,

Cultbytes, Art Spiel, and New American

Paintings. With pieces now entering collections

such as JPMorgan Chase, her practice

speaks powerfully to a global moment

increasingly attuned to interdependence,

climate precarity, and the poetic intelligence

of the more‐than‐human world.


41

F1

BLUE, PINK, AND

A FRESH START

ALPINE’S A526 LIVERY FOR F1’S 2026 RESET

Alpine’s 2026 challenger, the A526, arrives as both a visual continuation and a

strategic reset, pairing the team’s now-iconic blue‐and‐pink livery with an all‐new

Mercedes‐powered package for the hybrid era shake‐up. Unveiled in Barcelona aboard

MSC World Europa, the car signals Alpine’s intent to turn the page on a difficult 2025

season and reframe its identity around performance and purpose.

42 February 2026

www.magzoid.com

The A526 sticks with the familiar blend

of Alpine’s racing blue and BWT’s

signature pink, but the composition

has been sharpened. Large blue

fields dominate the nose, engine cover, and

sidepods, with pink sweeping along the

flanks, rear wing, and key aero edges, creating

a bolder but cleaner read than earlier

iterations. The design is intentionally evolutionary

rather than radical, reinforcing brand

recognition while the technical package

changes underneath.

BWT and Alpine present the livery as a

symbol of “high performance with purpose,”

tying the pink not just to sponsorship but

to the company’s “Change the World – sip

by sip” water‐sustainability message that

leverages F1’s global platform to promote

reduced single‐use plastic. Additional partners,

including MSC Cruises and Eni, are

integrated into the scheme with restrained

placements to avoid cluttering the main color

blocks.

New heart: Mercedes power and gearbox

The biggest shift sits under the skin. From

2026, Alpine switches from Renault power

to a Mercedes‐AMG power unit and gearbox,

ending Renault’s long‐running F1 engine

programme and aligning Enstone with

one of the most successful manufacturers

of the hybrid era. The move is locked in via

a multi‐year agreement lasting at least until

2030, covering both power units from Brixworth

and gearboxes from Mercedes‐Benz

Grand Prix.

Technical chief David Sanchez describes

the collaboration with Mercedes as “essential

to maximise the performance of the overall

package,” particularly with 2026’s higher

hybrid contribution, 100% sustainable fuels,

and new race vocabulary built around boost,

overtake, and recharge modes.

Built to new rules: shorter, lighter, active

aero-ready

Alpine pivoted early to 2026, re‐allocating resources

during a tough 2025 campaign that

ended with last place in the Constructors’

Championship. The A526 is described as a

completely new project: new chassis, new

architecture, new operational concepts. With

the regulations mandating smaller, lighter

cars and active aerodynamics, the team has

cut around 30 kg from overall mass, revised

the car’s dimensions, and reshaped bodywork

to suit the two active‐aero modes.

Sanchez notes that reduced size and

movable wings have “completely changed”

Alpine’s design approach—the car is more

agile and freer in concept, but also more

complex to understand and optimise. For

drivers, energy‐management modes and

dynamic aero states add new layers of racecraft,

making simulator work critical before

the first laps in Melbourne.

New leadership, stable drivers

Structurally, Alpine enters 2026 with a refreshed

leadership team: Managing Director

Steve Nielsen, who joined in September,

and Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore, who

frames the A526 as the beginning of “a new

chapter” after 2025’s struggles. On the driver

side, the team retains Pierre Gasly and Franco

Colapinto, embracing continuity behind

the wheel while everything else changes.

Gasly, now in his fourth season with Alpine,

remains lead driver after scoring all

of the team’s 2025 points and speaks of a

group that grew closer through adversity. He

calls 2026 “a big opportunity” and stresses

excitement around both the clean‐sheet

regulations and the Mercedes partnership.

Colapinto, entering his first full season from

the outset, highlights the value of a proper

off‐season and extensive simulator time with

the A526, framing the new car’s complexity

as an “amazing challenge.”

From ship to shakedown

After the cruise‐ship launch in Barcelona

and a damp filming day at Silverstone, Alpine

heads into shakedown and Bahrain

testing with realistic optimism: they know

the gap from 2025 is large, but the rules finally

offer a genuine reset. In that context,

the A526 livery’s message is clear—same

colors, new foundations. The blue‐and‐pink

may look familiar, but what it represents for

Alpine in 2026 is something far more ambitious

than a simple refresh.


43

ARTIST

44 February 2026

www.magzoid.com

WEAVING

FUTURES

FROM

THE

ART

OF SEBA

CALFUQUEO

WALLMAPU:

Seba Calfuqueo’s practice unfolds

as a powerful weaving of land, language,

and body, positioning them

as one of the most compelling ultra‐contemporary

voices from Latin America

today. Rooted in Mapuche heritage and

lived experience as a trans artist in Chile,

their work becomes a site of resistance, repair,

and remembrance in the face of ongoing

colonial erasures.

Born in Santiago de Chile in 1991, Calfuqueo

works across performance, installation,

ceramics, video, and sculpture, activating

each medium as a way to question how

Indigenous subjects are framed within Chilean

and broader Latin American societies.

Their pieces often stage subtle yet incisive

confrontations between Mapuche worldviews

and Western narratives, exposing the

stereotypes and exclusions produced at this

intersection while opening space for küme

mongen – the Mapuche principle of “good

living” – to surface as an ethical horizon.

Ceramics has become a particularly resonant

language for Calfuqueo, where clay

carries memory, cosmology, and ecological

consciousness. In series such as “Imagen

país,” cobalt‐glazed vessels honour Mapuche

craft traditions and their deep connections

to sky and sea, transforming everyday

trades into luminous monuments of cultural

persistence. These works refuse the notion

of folklore as static; instead, they insist on indigeneity

as a contemporary, future‐oriented

force.

Calfuqueo’s performances and videos

extend this inquiry into gender, territory, and

embodiment, revisiting history from a Mapuche

perspective while foregrounding feminist

and queer dissidence. Works like “You

Will Never Be a Weye” and “Cuerpos en resistencia”

confront the violence of imposed

norms, reclaiming narrative agency through

gestures of vulnerability and strength. This

biographical and political layering allows

their practice to resonate globally, even as

it remains anchored in Wallmapu, the ancestral

Mapuche territory.

Recognised by institutions such as Tate

Modern, Centre Pompidou, Denver Art Museum,

and Museo Thyssen‐Bornemisza, and

featured in major exhibitions including the

Venice and Whitney Biennials, Calfuqueo’s

trajectory signals a decisive re‐centering of

Indigenous epistemologies in contemporary

art discourse. Awards from the FAVA Foundation,

Eyebeam’s Fractal Fellowships Program,

Ama Amoedo Foundation’s FAARA,

and the Cuervo Prize at Zona Maco further

underscore the urgency and relevance of

their vision. For audiences in the UAE and

beyond, Calfuqueo’s work offers an evocative

lens on how art can mend fractured

histories while imagining more just, plural

futures.


45

F1

46 February 2026

www.magzoid.com

GLOSS BLUE,

NEW ERA

INSIDE RED BULL’S 2026 F1 LIVERY

Red Bull’s 2026 Formula 1 livery marks the start of the Red Bull Ford Powertrains era

and a deliberate visual reset for one of the sport’s most dominant teams. Unveiled in

Detroit at Michigan Central Station alongside sister outfit Racing Bulls, the design bridges

early‐2000s nostalgia with the technical ambitions of F1’s new hybrid regulations.

After nearly a decade of matte finishes,

Red Bull has returned to a

glossy paint treatment that echoes

the look it ran when it first entered

F1 in 2005. The RB22 wears a richer, racing‐blue

base with crisp white and yellow

accents, a move Team Principal Laurent Mekies

says is meant to add “depth and clarity”

and make the sun‐and‐bull emblem pop

under floodlights and night‐race conditions.

Compared with recent liveries, the 2026

design sharpens logo outlines and panel

breaks, giving the car a cleaner, more

“coachbuilt” feel rather than a purely graphic

wrap. Max Verstappen has highlighted the

return of the outlined “rainbow” Red Bull logo

as a detail that makes the car feel fresher

while still instantly recognizable.

Ford partnership written into the paintwork

The choice of Detroit as launch venue and

the livery’s bolder blue‐white contrast underscore

Ford’s arrival as Red Bull’s works power

unit partner. Ford branding is integrated

prominently around the engine cover and

rear wing, visually tying the new hybrid era

to the American manufacturer’s long racing

heritage.

From 2026, the Red Bull Ford Powertrains

unit—developed in Milton Keynes and at

Ford facilities in the U.S.—will supply both

Red Bull and Racing Bulls, making the livery

a visual flag for the group’s first in‐house engine

project.

Designed for the new active-aero era

While the launch car is primarily a show

model, the livery has been conceived with

2026’s new active‐aero rules in mind. With

front and rear wings now switching between

“Straight Line Mode” and “Corner Mode,”

Red Bull has used color blocking to emphasize

the wings’ moving elements—white accents

on the mainplanes and endplates are

positioned to trace their changing angles on

TV and in photography.

The cleaner sidepod and engine-cover

graphics also anticipate the narrower front

wings, simplified floors, and reduced out-

wash mandated by the regulations, allowing

airflow‐critical areas to remain visually uncluttered.

New chapter, familiar ambition

On the human side, the livery debuts alongside

a refreshed driver line‐up: four‐time

world champion Max Verstappen remains

the team’s spearhead, now joined by

French star Isack Hadjar, promoted after

an eye‐catching rookie season with Racing

Bulls. Hadjar has praised the gloss finish

and front‐wing treatment in particular, noting

how the car will stand out under night‐race

lighting.

For Red Bull, the 2026 livery functions as

both a heritage callback and a statement

of intent. It reactivates the visual language

of the team’s first title‐winning era just as it

enters its most technically ambitious chapter

yet—building its own Ford‐backed power

unit for a championship defined by 50/50

hybrid power, sustainable fuels, and active

aerodynamics.


47

ARTIST

48 February 2026

www.magzoid.com

FACELESS

REVERIES:

THE

INTIMATE

WORLDS OF

CELINE ALI

Celine Ali (b. 1997) paints faceless

women suspended between abstraction

and reality, transforming

domestic interiors into charged

emotional landscapes where identity quietly

unravels and reconstitutes itself. Romanian‐born

and of Turkish heritage, the London‐based

artist distils her cross‐cultural

upbringing into luminous compositions that

probe the multiplicity of self, intimacy, and

what it means to inhabit a female body today.

Trained first in Interior Design at Northumbria

University and later completing a

Master’s in Fine Art in London, Ali navigates

space with an architect’s sensitivity and a

painter’s intuitive boldness. Her canvases

layer cubist structures, surrealist touches,

and fluid organic forms, creating rooms that

feel at once sheltering and psychological—

settings where figures can undress their

emotions in private.

Ali’s signature faceless figures refuse easy

recognition, inviting viewers to project their

own stories onto bodies rendered in voluptuous,

imperfect contours. By stripping away

conventional visage, she explores ambiguous

identities and the tension between how

women are seen and how they see themselves

across cultures, belief systems, and

inherited expectations. Bold chromatic palettes

heighten this theatre of feeling, staging

loneliness, longing, failed love, and desire

as states that are vulnerable yet defiantly

dignified.

In series such as Moments of Being at JD

Malat Gallery and the forthcoming Paradiso

at Maddox Gallery, Ali turns everyday interiors

into sanctuaries of resilience. Chairs,

tables, windows, and patterned textiles

double as metaphors for containment and

escape, holding traces of memory, spiritual

aspiration, and the “eternal feminine” that

her work continually reimagines beyond idealised

perfection.

Exhibited internationally at spaces including

JD Malat Gallery and Maddox Gallery

in London, Ali is increasingly recognised

as a vital voice in contemporary figuration.

For Magzoid’s readers, her paintings offer

an arresting lens on hybridity and womanhood—images

that whisper of softness and

strength coexisting in the same room, in the

same body, in the same breath.


49

F1


SILVER TO BLACK

IN ONE STROKE

MERCEDES’ W17 LIVERY FRAMES F1’S 2026 RESET

Mercedes’ 2026 challenger, the W17 E PERFORMANCE, debuts with a livery that

literally paints the team’s recent history across the car—from classic silver at the nose to

deep black at the rear, stitched together by a flowing PETRONAS green line. Revealed

in digital renders ahead of its first running at Silverstone and the Barcelona shakedown,

the design mirrors the scale of F1’s new rules while reinforcing Mercedes’ core identity.

The W17’s most striking feature is the

long, dynamic green “flow line” that

sweeps low along the flanks, visually

connecting a silver front section to a

black rear half. At the nose and front wing,

the car reads unmistakably as a Silver Arrow;

by the engine cover and gearbox area,

it transitions into the matte black palette Mercedes

adopted in 2020.

This gradient does more than nod to heritage.

By sitting low on the body, the green

line accentuates the W17’s more compact

proportions under the 2026 rules—shorter,

narrower, and lighter than its predecessor—

while giving a sense of speed and precision

even at standstill. PETRONAS green also

highlights critical aero surfaces and cooling

inlets, framing how air moves over and

through the car without cluttering the form.

The AMG rhombus signature appears

on the tops of the sidepods, while the

three‐pointed star pattern continues on the

engine cover, adding depth without breaking

the overall clarity. A new Microsoft logo on

the airbox and front‐wing endplates signals

a fresh strategic partnership on the software

and data side.

Drawn for active aero and 50/50 hybrid

power

Underneath the paint, the W17 is Mercedes’

answer to what team boss Toto Wolff calls

“the biggest technical shake‐up in the

sport’s history.” The car is designed around

active aerodynamics, with moveable front

and rear wings replacing traditional DRS and

enabling distinct “corner” and “straight‐line”

modes tied into the hybrid deployment strategies.

The new power unit aims for an almost

50/50 split between internal combustion and

electric power, running on advanced sustainable

fuels developed with PETRONAS.

The combustion engine remains a 1.6‐liter

turbo V6, but with the MGU‐H removed, the

MGU‐K now delivers up to 350 kW, making

the electric side far more central to lap time.

Mercedes has a history of landing strongly

in new power‐unit eras, and rival teams

have already voiced concern that the outfit

may have found regulatory grey zones, for

instance around compression‐ratio behavior

at operating temperatures. While those debates

sit with the FIA, the W17’s architecture

clearly treats the hybrid system not as an

add‐on but as a co‐equal core of the car.

Continuity in the cockpit, pressure on the

pit wall

On the driver front, Mercedes sticks with

George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli,

who finished fourth and seventh in last

year’s championship, respectively. Russell

has increasingly become the de facto team

leader, while Antonelli’s rookie campaign

has marked him as one of the most closely

watched young talents in the field.

With expectations already forming that

Mercedes could start 2026 as early favourites—given

their past dominance at the

dawn of the hybrid era and strong simulation

correlation reports—the W17 livery feels

intentionally measured rather than radical. It

doesn’t scream for attention; it asserts continuity,

engineering rigour, and a quiet confidence

that the real revolution is happening

beneath the surface.

As pre‐season testing begins at Barcelona

and then Bahrain, the car’s black‐to‐silver

gradient will be more than a visual motif—it

will be a rolling timeline of where Mercedes

has come from and where it believes F1 is

going next.


51

INTERIOR

QUIET PRECISION

HAUVETTE & MADANI’S JAPANESE-INSPIRED PARISIAN HOME


French duo Hauvette & Madani have

crafted a three-level private residence

near the Bois de Boulogne that fuses

Japanese restraint with unmistakable

French elegance. The home balances Tadao

Ando–like minimalism with the graphic

rigor of Andrée Putman, resulting in interiors

where structure, furniture, and landscape

read as one continuous composition.

Architecture, layout and material language

Organized across three levels, the house

is shaped around fluid, open volumes and

a deliberately restrained palette. Wood is

the unifying material: custom oak shelving,

oak parquet flooring, and bespoke cabinetry

run through living, kitchen, and dining

spaces, giving warmth to the otherwise calm

architectural shell. On the first floor, an oakand–green

quartz kitchen anchors the plan,

flowing into a dining room defined by a custom

table and a bench upholstered in Dedar

fabric.

The designers describe the project as

a contemporary Parisian home “shaped

around togetherness,” where circulation is

intuitive and social spaces remain visually

connected yet acoustically soft. Carefully

proportioned openings frame the garden

and city beyond, creating a quiet dialogue

between interior life and the surrounding

neighborhood.

of the interior

A Japanese-inspired garden, landscaped

by Aliénor de Baillencourt, acts as a “green

cocoon” that visually enlarges the ground

floor. Large glazed openings allow the living

areas and kitchen to borrow depth from

bamboo, shrubs, and layered planting, articulating

a key Japanese principle: strong

connection to nature within compact urban

contexts.

From the living room, the garden reads almost

as an additional room, blurring boundaries

between inside and out while maintaining

a sense of calm enclosure. This spatial

continuity reinforces the house’s emphasis

on slow, comfortable everyday living rather

than showpiece minimalism.

Furniture, art and the “Entremets” collection

Throughout the home, Hauvette & Madani

weave together collectible design and their

own furniture pieces to create a curated

yet livable atmosphere. Works from Galerie

Gastou sit alongside pieces from the studio’s

“Entremets” collection, including the Colonel

armchair, Fontainebleau floor lamp, Podium

sofa, and Le Parfait chairs, all conceived as

sculptural objects with generous comfort.

Textiles—from Dedar, Ralph Lauren, Elitis,

and Larsen—introduce tactility and color

that soften the architectural rigor.

A Japanese-inspired garden as extension


53

F1


WHITE, RED, AND

READY

HAAS’ 2026 LIVERY SIGNALS A NEW TGR ERA

Haas has pulled the covers off its 2026 Formula 1 challenger with a clean, high‐contrast white and red livery that

doubles as a statement of intent for its first season as TGR Haas F1 Team. Revealed via digital renders a week

before Barcelona Shakedown, the VF‐26 design showcases both the new visual identity and the full outline of Haas’s

interpretation of the 2026 rulebook.

The most immediate change is how

much brighter the car is. Black bodywork

that previously dominated the

engine cover, halo, and sidepod

bases has been replaced with an almost

all‐white field, broken up by bold red accents

that reference Toyota Gazoo Racing’s

global motorsport colours. TGR branding

now sits prominently on the engine cover,

halo, and front wing, cementing the step up

from technical partner to full title sponsor.

Fine black detailing at the leading edges

of the wings and floor keeps the design from

feeling too flat, while the red flashes contour

key aero features—intakes, sidepod shoulders,

and rear‐wing endplates—to help the

car read crisply on broadcast from distance.

The result is a livery that looks unmistakably

Haas but now clearly aligned with Toyota’s

visual language.

Designed around the 2026 reset

Unlike some rivals who have shown liveried

launch mules, Haas stresses that the VF‐26

renders reflect both its livery and the core

design direction for the new regulations. Built

to 2026’s lighter, shorter, and narrower chassis

rules, the car shows trimmed bodywork,

reduced overhangs, and a simplified floor

intended to work with the new active‐aero

package on the front and rear wings.

Underneath, the team continues with Ferrari

power, updated to the new 1.6‐liter V6

hybrid configuration that shifts to a 50/50

power split between internal combustion and

electric, running on 100% sustainable fuel.

Technical Director Andrea De Zordo notes

that concept work began in mid‐2024 with a

small group, before a full resource switch after

the 2025 summer break—a timeline that

reflects the scale of the regulation reset.

Stability in the cockpit, change around it

Haas retains its 2025 driver pairing of Esteban

Ocon and Ollie Bearman, giving the

team continuity as it navigates the unknowns

of the new era. Ocon, entering his second

season with Haas, speaks of a team that is

“really growing” and increasingly serious

about climbing out of the lower midfield.

Bearman, likewise in his sophomore year,

highlights his step forward in the second half

of last season and his aim to carry that trajectory

into a package that should be more

agile and responsive by design.

Owner Gene Haas and Team Principal

Ayao Komatsu both frame 2026 as a balance

between opportunity and strain: designing

an all‐new car while racing the outgoing

one, all under a tight turnaround from

the end of 2025 to putting the VF‐26 on track

in January.

Quietly confident, deliberately understated

In a year when some launches have leaned

on spectacle, Haas’s approach—online

renders, a straightforward statement, and

a livery that’s crisp rather than loud—feels

consistent with the team’s pragmatic identity.

The white‐and‐red look gives TGR Haas

F1 Team a fresh, instantly legible brand on

the grid while leaving the talking to be done

by the car’s performance when it first turns

a wheel at Barcelona Shakedown and, soon

after, in Bahrain.


55

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Magzoid Magazine - Luxury Magazine in the Creative Space | February 2026 |

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