Specific Object is pleased to present
Re: Bicycling, an exhibition organized by David Platzker with Alex Ostroy of the cycling apparel brand
Ostroy, to be held at
Susan Inglett Gallery from June 17 to July 23, 2021. The exhibition will feature works by artists demonstrating the enlightening effect of bicycling from the modern era and beyond.
Modernism—and modern art—would never exist without bicycles. Alongside mechanical reproduction, few innovations from the tail end of the Industrial Revolution had as much material impact on art and artists as the freedom afforded by bicycles. The capacity to swiftly ride self-supported, hither and yon liberated women and men while opening environs and transforming cities, allowing for simplified commutes to and from work, shops, and for leisure.
In 1895, nearly 10 years before the Suffragette movement,
Elizabeth Cady Stanton emphatically wrote, “The bicycle will inspire women with more courage, self-respect, self-reliance…” to which
Susan B. Anthony expanded:
Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel…the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.
Bicycling inspired modern writers, such as
Alfred Jarry, who became entranced by bike racing. He captured his interest in the fantastical 1903 vignette,
The Passion Considered As An Uphill Bicycle Race. where he presented the crucifixion as a metaphor for Christ as a cyclist struggling up a difficult hill-climb race. In turn, Jarry inspired Marcel Duchamp, whose
Bicycle Wheel of 1913 definitively spun an ever-present revolution in Modern art.
This exhibition frames the 126 years from 1895 to 2021 with works by Nina Chanel Abney, Joseph Beuys, Ricardo Brey, Chris Burden, Rodney Graham, Louise Lawler, Christian Marclay, Jonathan Monk, Ebecho Muslimova, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Gabriel Orozco, Robert Rauschenberg, Edward Ruscha, Sarah Sze, Dorothea Tanning, and Géo Weiss (Emile Georges Weiss). The pieces consist of a wide range of materials, from vintage advertising to sculptural works that respond to bicycles in art and as tools of locomotion and exploration.
In conjunction with the show,
Ostroy has designed a
limited-edition women’s and men’s cycling jersey exclusively available at the Gallery.
Please visit
Susan Inglett Gallery, call (212 647 9111) or
email the gallery to order!
These jerseys can be worn in style as the Gallery hosts group bicycle rides led by Platzker every Wednesday during the run of the show. Departing from the Gallery at 10:30 AM, the rides will take cyclists up the bike path of
Hudson River Waterfront Greenway to the Little Red Lighthouse at the base of the George Washington Bridge, returning to the Gallery for refreshments. These 20-mile round-trip rides will be slow excursions, perfect for lazy warm summer mornings.
For more information regarding the rides and weather cancellations, please check the
Gallery's website or
www.specificobject.com/projects/Re-Bicycles and social media for details.
Additional great cycling wear can be purchased at
Ostroy.
Re: Bicycling will be on view at
Susan Inglett Gallery located at 522 West 24 Street, Tuesday to Saturday, 10 AM to 6 PM. In July, the gallery will institute Summer Hours Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM. For additional information please contact Susan Inglett Gallery at 212 647 9111 or info@inglettgallery.com.
See the online exhibition catalogue for
Re: Bicycling by clicking
here
Read Valentina Di Liscia's
Hyperallergic review of
Re: Bicycling by clicking
here
Read
Harper's BAZAAR's "The Culture Lover’s July Guide," which includes
Re: Bicycling by clicking
here.
Read Jacob Gallagher's story "Meet the Cycling Fans Who Hoard Hundreds of Racing Jerseys" in
The Wall Street Journal which highlights
Re: Bicycling by clicking
here.
IMAGE LEFT
Géo Weiss [Emile Georges Weiss]
Société La Française, c. 1895
Lithograph printed in colors
62 x 44 in.
Edition size unknown
Printed by Imp. P. Dupont [Imprimerie Paul Dupont], Paris
IMAGE RIGHT
Richard Prince
Untitled (Upstate), 1995-1999
Ektacolor photograph
24 x 20 in.
Edition of 5 (AP 1/0)
