Airwallex and McLaren have teamed up with the Aboriginal artist who did burnouts in a Rolls-Royce for the Melbourne F1

If you’ve ever had a meal at di Stasio’s Citta in Melbourne, or watched the Matildas play Japan last week, you’ve seen the work of Kamilaroi artist Reko Rennie.

Rennie’s 8-minute video, OA_RR, driving a Rolls Royce in burnouts in the desert country of his grandmother, plays behind the bar at the Italian restaurant, and another, Visible Invisible, is on the wall outside.

The donuts he carves out in the red earth echo the sand motifs of the Kamilaroi people. The ’73 Rolls-Royce Corniche, painted in a geometric camouflage by Rennie, was him reclaiming a colonial symbol of power and royalty on land where is family worked as slave labour for pastoralists.

Last week Football Australia revealed new kit designed by Rennie for the national football teams.

The contemporary Aboriginal artist’s next project is a collaboration for Airwallex and McLaren, the Formula One team the fintech sponsors, for the Melbourne Grand Prix.

Rennie is has tasked with turning a McLaren Artura Coupe, a high-performance hybrid supercar, into a sculptural installation that will be on show in Melbourne’s Queensbridge Square, March from 13-16, during the 2025 Melbourne GP.

Airwallex’s VP of marketing, Jon Stona, said the project is part of the global payments platform’s ‘Shifted Perspectives’ campaign for the 2025 F1 season.

“We believe in pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo—whether in business, sport, or art. This collaboration with McLaren Racing and Reko Rennie is a testament to that mindset,” he said.

“With Oscar Piastri leading the charge for Australia on the F1 circuit, we want to inspire Australian businesses to think differently, shift their perspectives, and seize opportunities on a global stage.”

Rennie has a bit of a thing for cars. He’s owned a couple of Porsches, and everything from an Alfa Romeo to Valiants. In 2022, he released a new video work, Initiation OA_RR, featuring a hot pink 1973 Holden Monaro, doing burnouts in the western Melbourne of his youth to opera by Aboriginal composer and  Deborah Cheetham.

The Airwallex and McLaren project is “an amazing opportunity to combine two of my passions” the 50-year-old artist said.

“I’ve always had a deep appreciation for cars and the innovation behind them. Merging my art, which is deeply rooted in my culture, with the global stage is a true fusion of worlds and my various influences,” Rennie said.

“I’m excited to unveil the design and a film showcasing my inspiration during the F1 – a time when my home city of Melbourne truly comes to life.”

All will be revealed on March 12, but before that Airwallex has launched a business grant initiative as part of Shifted Perspective to support Australian founders. There’s $25,000 in funding up for grabs in three categories – Business Acceleration Grant, First Nations Business Grant, and Professional Acceleration Grant. Applications close on March 12. Details here.

The Airwallex collaboration follows the recent announcement by Atlassian that it will be the Williams Racing name sponsor, pitting the two Australian tech unicorns against each other on the F1 race track.