In a world racing toward automation, electrification, and algorithmic design, artist and inventor Mandhir Singh Todd invites us to slow down—and listen to the heartbeat of machines that once moved us. His latest solo exhibition, The Last Brushstroke, is a striking tribute to the internal combustion engine: not just as a mechanical object, but as a powerful symbol of human emotion, memory, and resistance.
Created over eight months using only oil paint and canvas, Todd’s 18 new pieces reject digital tools entirely. No screens. No sensors. No artificial intelligence. Just the artist’s hand, intuition, and a deep connection with engines—those complex, noisy, imperfect machines that once defined a century of mobility and freedom.
“An engine is more than parts and torque,” Mikey Todd explains. “It breathes, it vibrates, it reacts. There’s a raw poetry in how it fails, how it fights to stay alive. No algorithm can replicate that spirit.”
From close-up portraits of engine blocks to abstract renderings of piston movement and heat trails, the exhibition captures the visceral experience of mechanical life. Thick brushstrokes evoke tension and movement, while handwritten annotations and visible flaws reinforce Todd’s message: imperfection is what makes things real.
One of the show’s most thought-provoking pieces, The Imitation Game, places original paintings alongside AI-generated interpretations based on Todd’s personal notes. Visitors are invited to explore not just the differences in technique, but the emotional disconnect between machine-produced output and human-crafted art.
In parallel, Todd is launching a series of live sessions titled Brush Over Byte, where he brings together engineers, designers, and motor enthusiasts to discuss a pressing question: Can artificial intelligence ever replace the emotional resonance of a machine built—and understood—by human hands?
The Last Brushstroke is not merely a nostalgic look at a fading technology. It is a bold stand against the erasure of analog experience in a digital world. In Todd’s view, engines are more than obsolete technology—they are metaphors for being alive. Hot, loud, unpredictable, and flawed.
“As long as engines keep running,” Mikey Todd says, “there’s hope that something human still drives us.”
