Flash-Lit Interiority of the Car: Andrew Bush's "Drive" and Óscar Monzón's "KARMA"

These two books evoke a time when cars functioned not merely as a means of transport, but as a "room" in themselves.

One is Andrew Bush's "Drive," a series photographed in various locations across the US, primarily Los Angeles, between 1989 and 1997. Bush mounted a camera in his own car and captured people driving alongside him. Most drivers were unaware they were being photographed, resulting in astonishingly unguarded expressions.

While maintaining the same composition, each shot reveals different cars, people, light, speed, and atmosphere. I am particularly drawn to the colors of the car bodies, the reflections of metal, and the scenery visible through the windows. Looking at them now, the presence of American cars and Porsches from that era has a unique charm. And what remains most impressive are the very ordinary, private moments of people in transit.

The other book is Óscar Monzón's "KARMA," a series created in Madrid between 2009 and 2013. These, too, were taken without the drivers' knowledge. The enclosed space of a car, forming an extremely private domain within a public space—it brings to mind the concept of the "Body Car." Monzón, as if violating that boundary, illuminates the drivers with a powerful flash.

What both works share, perhaps, is how they bring to light human unconsciousness, loneliness, and the sense of urban distance through the existence of the car. The texture of the car bodies and scenery illuminated by the flash is also striking.

"KARMA" is currently available for purchase. If you're interested, please check it out.

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KARMA by Óscar Monzón｜Bunbuku