Bike Rides: The Exhibition

Sepetember 26, 2009, to January 17, 2010
Bike Rides Exhibition Brochure [PDF]
Bike Rides blog

It’s a sign of the times—and our increased interest in sustainable transportation—that The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum will debut Bike Rides: The Exhibition on September 26, 2009.

Organized by Aldrich curators Richard Klein and Mónica Ramírez–Montagut, with the advice of musician, artist, and bicycle advocate David Byrne, the exhibition explores the growing relevance of bicycles in contemporary art and culture.

The multidisciplinary project will feature approximately thirty works from around the world, including functional cycles—ranging from cutting–edge designs to populist expressions—as well as bicycle–inspired sculpture and video.

In some cases, bikes have been re–appropriated by artists and enthusiasts in the service of creating new art, such as the inflatable–toy–embellished work of Cai Guo–Qiang; the sound system speaker–adorned Pimp My Piragua of Miguel Luciano; the greenhouse tricycle of Secret School and the K.I.D.S.; the tricked–out vintage rides of the Brooklyn–based Puerto Rico Schwinn Club; the cast–bronze cycles of Subodh Gupta; and the rattan– and rubber– weave–covered work of Jarbas Lopes. In other cases, designers had function and performance in mind, creating inventive new frame shapes from materials such as bamboo, carbon fiber, and titanium. The exhibition will also feature a video by David Sowerby showing rider Danny MacAskill performing sensational bike tricks, which has been viewed nearly ten million times on YouTube, as well as three innovative bike racks that exist somewhere between fine art and industrial design.

Richard Klein commented, “As worldwide trends point to bike riding as a serious and sustainable means of transportation that is currently reshaping cities, the public’s fascination with bicycles is growing. All these works emphasize the diverse use and function of these man–powered machines that is present in different societies.”

Mónica Ramírez–Montagut agreed that the bikes on view, “represent different identities and serve new and distinct functions. Avid bike riders, amateur bike aficionados, recreational bikers, artists, cutting–edge designers, and the community at large are all reconsidering bicycles through their personal point of view: their own ideal bike.”

Bike Rides will remain on view through January 17, 2010, and include artworks or bikes from:
Lance Armstrong
Bamboo Bike Studio (Justin Aguinaldo, Sean Murray, and Marty Odin)
Guy Ben–Ner
Jonathan Brand
David Byrne
Cai Guo–Qiang
Cannondale Bicycle Corporation
David Gelfman
Subodh Gupta
Bari Kumar
Jarbas Lopes
Miguel Luciano
Mexican Pride (Francisco Javier Ceballos, Rogelio and Braulio Martinez, and Vicente Olivares)
PARLEE Cycles
Carolina Pedraza
Puerto Rico Schwinn Club (Martha Clavijo, “El Gallo,” and Orlando Rivera)
Richard Sachs
Tom Sachs
Secret School and the K.I.D.S. (Colin McMullan [aka EMCEE C.M.] and Huong Ngo)
Seven Cycles
David Sowerby and Danny MacAskill
Studio Tractor (Peter Kirkiles design + fabrication and Studio Tractor Architecture)
Rob Vandermark

additional images | click to enlarge



Bike Rides

David Sowerby and Danny MacAskill, Video still from Inspired Bicycles, Danny MacAskill, 2008–09
Courtesy of the artists



Bike Rides

Jonathan Brand, Fallen, 2007
Collection of Cindy Sherman, New York



Bike Rides

Miguel Luciano, Pimp My Piragua, 2008
Courtesy of the artist



Bike Rides

Secret School and the K.I.D.S. (Colin McMullan [aka EMCEE C.M.] and Huong Ngo), Greenhouse–a–Go–Grow, 2009
Courtesy of the artists



Bike Rides

Richard Sachs, “–sawa” Pista Series Track Bike (Red), 2007
Courtesy Richard Sachs Cycles, Warwick, MA



Bike Rides

Mexican Pride (Vicente Olivares), Confites Lowrider Bike, 2008
Courtesy Mexican Pride/Vicente Olivares



Bike Rides

Puerto Rico Schwinn Club (El Gallo), El Gallo, 1949–2009
Courtesy of the artist



Bike Rides

Jarbas Lopes, A work from the ongoing series AERIALBIKEWAY [Cicloviaerea], 2001–07
Courtesy of the artist
Collection of Steve Miller, New York



Bike Rides

Cai Guo–Qiang, Illusion of Childhood (detail), 2008
Courtesy of the artist



Bike Rides

Subodh Gupta, One component of Three Cows, 2003
Courtesy of the artist
Shumita and Arani Bose Collection, New York



Bike Rides

Carolina Pedraza, the gears for the masses, 2009
Statistical information courtesy of Bikes Belong Coalition



Bike Rides

Studio Tractor, Cotter Pin Bike Rack (digital rendering), 2009
Courtesy Peter Kirkiles design + fabrication, Kent, CT, and Studio Tractor Architecture, Brooklyn, NY



Bike Rides

PARLEE Cycles, Z1, 2009
Courtesy PARLEE Cycles, Peabody, MA



Bike Rides

Bari Kumar, Army of Forgotten Souls (video still), 2005
Courtesy of the artist and Bose Pacia Gallery, New York



Bike Rides

Rob Vandermark, Viridian, 2009
Courtesy of the artist and Seven Cycles, Watertown, MA



Bike Rides

Bamboo Bike Studio (Justin Aguinaldo, Sean Murray, Marty Odin), Studio view with Bamboo Bike and raw bamboo, 2009
Courtesy Bamboo Bike Studio, Brooklyn, NY



Bike Rides

Cannondale, Stealth (Eurobike Concept Bike), 2008
Courtesy Cannondale Bicycle Corporation, Bethel, CT



Bike Rides

Guy Ben–Ner, Video still from I’d give it to you if I could but I borrowed it, 2007
Courtesy of the artist and Postmasters Gallery, New York

The Aldrich is supported, in part, by the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Bike Rides: The Exhibition and Bike Fest—a celebration of all things bicycle, are funded, in part, by Cannondale Bicycles, Danbury Porsche, TARGETRAINING, Purkiss Capital Advisors, LLC, HSBC Bank, US, NA, Outdoor Sports Center, Nestlé Waters North America, Water Street Markets, LLC. The official media sponsors for the exhibition opening are WSHU Public Radio and Connecticut Cottages & Gardens. Ridgefield Magazine is the official media sponsor of Le Tour d’Aldrich—organized bicycle rides for all abilities.

Image: Guy Ben–Ner, Video still from I’d give it to you if I could but I borrowed it, 2007
Courtesy of the artist and Postmasters Gallery, New York