Continuing The Church’s series of exhibitions exploring the intersection of material culture and modern and contemporary art, we are pleased to present this show in three parts:
20 bicycles selected by Eric Fischl and Ryan Long from the collection of The Bicycle Museum of America, New Bremen, Ohio, along with artworks by Jarbas Lopes and Studio Drift
A selection of over 25 photographs curated by Mark Lubell, photo scholar and former Executive Director of the International Center of Photography in New York City, and Jennifer Tripp, photo expert formerly with Magnum Photos
2 contemporary art videos by Bas Jan Ader and Bari Kumar selected by Sara Cochran
The bikes from The Bicycle Museum of America focus on the engineering and design innovations that have marked the vehicle’s development. Ranging from the 19th century chainless Velocipede (aka the "Boneshaker”) and the High Wheel (aka the “Penny-farthing”) to the Safety Bicycle (so-called because the wheels were of equal size and the rider was seated further back on the bike and less likely to be thrown over the handlebars) to Cruisers and Racing bikes. They illustrate the centrality of the issues of comfort, design, and speed to this ongoing engineering obsession.
The photographs in the exhibition explore the lives of people around the world over the past century with the bicycle as a common denominator. An evolving icon of our age, the subject of people on their bicycles has fascinated a diverse group of photographers and artists.
The object and its uses have changed our lives. As Susan B. Anthony stated: “Bicycling… has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance.” As these artworks illustrate, that sense of agency and autonomy are available to all of us old or young, regardless of gender or geographic location when we get on a bike and ride.
This exhibition was supported in part by the generosity of Jim Dicke II of Crown Equipment Corporation, and founder of The Bicycle Museum of America.
