I always feel some trepidation when I attend a theme show at a gallery.  My concern is that the concept takes precedence over the quality of work, and the show suffers.  However, I am also an avid cyclist, more the fixie-hipster variety than the jersey-laden weekend warrior.  So as you can imagine, I had some mixed feelings heading to the Pedaling Art show at Wall Eye gallery this past weekend.

Golden Sprints

I pulled up, and the Ohio City Bike Co-op was providing free bike valet.  I saw some friends and was informed that there was a sprint contest set up the in basement.  I hurried down to see two fixie roller stands set up in front of a screen.  300m sprints, the time to beat was around 15seconds.  I got on to try my luck, the bike was woefully undersized for my six-foot-three frame, but I managed to pound out a respectable 18.7sec.  Relational aesthetics anyone?  I don’t think it was an art piece, but it got the blood flowing, and a lot of people stuck around to look at the actual work on the walls.

This was a bike scene, so naturally there were some hipster elements: craft bikes hanging from the rafters, lots of Polaroids, and some snazzy bike craft items like courier bags and cog-jewelry.

That being said, there were a number of standouts that rose above the bike-art moniker and made me want to linger.

Push/Pull by Stacy Kline

Stacy Kline’s mixed media let’s-say-drawing Push/Pull was the first piece that struck a chord with me.  The play between the representational image of the bicycle and the diamond shaped cutouts of a map gave much movement to the image.  It felt just as serene looking at the piece as a putting a few miles down through the city.  The meticulous rendering of the bicycle in charcoal contrasting with the fast application of the diamonds showed a love for the machine, but didn’t have all the pretention one normally associates with cyclists (and bike-artists).

Franken Bike by Adam Pate

I think the lack of pretention was a common theme in the pieces that caught my eye.  Frankenbike, a sculpture by Adam Pate, shows the jovial and bombastic nature of the group ride.  Again, meticulous technique but not taking itself too seriously.  Group rides from bar to bar, ending up at the park, having a great time.   Conveys the joy that comes with a great raucous ride with friends, but also shows great talent in capturing that irreverence.

Rafael Vadivieso’s They See the Group Arrive contrasted with much of the work in the show and was quite haunting.  With an almost spiritual glow and haunting eyes this was a much more somber piece.  I must admit that at first I walked past this painting, but I felt myself drawn to its almost pious tribute to the bicycle.

They See the Group Arrive by Rafael Vadivieso

On a lighter note, Tina Dujmovic’s Cleveland Celebrities was very heartwarming.  It was simply portraits of notable Cleveland Celebrities, seated on an impossibly long tandem cruiser, rendered almost as videogame characters.  It was funny.  Funny art is good.

There is a lot of work in this show, something for everyone, and a few truly successful art pieces.

Cleveland Celebrities by Tina Dujmovic

I am really proud of the job I did on that corner, check it out.

Head on over to my kickstarter page to help me pay for paint, tools, and other supplies!

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March 04, 2011 – April 09, 2011

The Detroit Artist’s Market proudly presents its 2011 Annual Detroit Artists Market Scholarship and Exhibition Program that includes the presentation of the scholarship awards to outstanding Cranbrook Academy of Art graduate students.  The Detroit Artists Market (DAM) exhibition will present works by the three scholarship recipients along with the six other student finalists and select alumni.  The DAM exhibition will open on March 4, 2011 and run through April 9, 2011. Opening Reception will be held on Friday, March 4, 2011. Members Preview: 6pm – 7pm Public Preview 7pm – 10pm.