Christian Petersen admires the facade of his bike shop in Atlandsberg, north east of Berlin. http://www.pixdaus.com
Soren Lyngbye – Punk Frog. Sculpture by the Sea, Sydney.
There’s something intrinsically funny about a bike in art. Hang a bike in an unexpected place, use it in an inventive way or build a weird-looking machine and you’ll be guaranteed to raise a smile.
I back-pedalled through my photo files and found I’d felt compelled to take a shot every time I saw a bike sculpture. A bit of googling showed me many others had done likewise.
The internet is full of images of two-wheelers put to witty artistic use. My photos first, then we’ll see what others have discovered…
My grandma knitted me a nice warm bike for Christmas – Reykjavik, Iceland.
That’s not a mountain bike – THIS is a mountain bike! Karwendel, Austria.
The artist is unknown, but this inspired us on the Great Victorian Bike Ride outside Buchan.
The pedal-powered Harley Davidson.
For sheer effort, originality and dedication to the art of the bicycle, it’s hard to beat Taiwanese artist Liao Chien Chung.
According to the notes on the gallery wall he always wanted a Harley Davidson but couldn’t afford one.
So he built one himself, with pedals instead of a throbbing motor.
It’s on display at the moment in the wonderful White Rabbit Gallery in Sydney and looks hilarious in the accompanying video.
The Harley Davidson pushbike – built for comedy, not for speed. Photo: White Rabbit Gallery
Googling ‘bike’ and ‘art’ turned up this collection on the blog Inspiration Green. They’ve put together a lot of great images of recycled bike art from around the world, including…
Bike gate – http://www.funfunpics.blogspot.com
Bike Accident in Denmark
Pic: Tomasz Sienicki http://www.commons.wikimedia.org
In Amsterdam, even this may not stop bike thieves.
Photo:Dustin Sacks, http://www.flickr.com
Oh, and if you’re looking for some raw materials for your own bike sculpture, you can pick them up at the bottom of any Amsterdam canal. They say it’s one third sludge, two thirds bikes down there.
This is the barge that dredges the bikes out of the canals. Now they just need some artists to take them off their hands.
Thanks to my correspondent Antonina for bringing the top photo to my notice and giving me a push-off to start this train of thought rolling.
If you know of more great bike art, please tell us about it in the comments box below and we’ll check it out. And almost certainly smile.
lol cycling is definitely an art
True, UTSOA, and one I’m still working at mastering! Thanks for the visit.
I often wonder why I love to look at bikes so much… Why I love riding them is simple. But sitting and staring at them is baffling, yet I do it all the time..
Yep, so do I. From a shiny new Cannondale to a rusty old Dutch Gazelle, they each have their charm.
Wonderful! There clearly needs to be more bike art in the world.
Thanks Debra. Maybe when I next get access to a dead bike I’ll try to reincarnate it as an art work.
My favourite just has to be the accident in Denmark. Great post Richard!
Thanks, Andrew. That Danish one I wish I’d thought of too.
You should take a drive/ride out to Cumnock (a small town in between Orange and Wellington in central NSW) they have quite a number of bicycle inspired sculptures on the main road. the website http://www.animalsonbikes.com.au/ has a background and a few photos.
Thanks,PP. That Animals on Bikes showed up on my web search. I see it was held in 2009 and 2011, but it would be great if at least some of the works were still there. Here’s the link to some more images:http://www.dubbonsw.com/Animals_on_bikes.html
yep still there. i would call them permanent installations. They add new ones each year and give out a yearly prize the website will probably be updated soon with the 2012 winners.
Ahhh, two of your loves together – art and bikes! Good job.
I’m loving that bike garden gate! So clever!
Thanks for getting me started, Antonina. This has been an extremely popular post, by the way; many others must also love art and bikes.
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Amazing Richard! Only in Europe hey? I wish we saw more bike art in Australia. There are always semi-broken bikes hanging around tied to poles or in hard rubbish that are wasted. Perhaps I have found a new hobby
Love the bike gate
Fab images
I agree with you, these pics are so cool!
love it mate
see some of my bike art here: http://www.juxtonartbikes.com
Love your bikes too, Justin. As long as I don’t actually have to ride them!