On Your Left
June 23 – September 16, 2018
The Silicon Valley has historically paved the way as the leading force in innovation and technology.
Recognized globally as the birthplace of the internet and the home computer, the region’s accomplishments also include a lengthy history of bicycle innovations: the arrival of the velocipede; the early 220 yard Burbank Velodrome; and the ground-breaking formation of organized bicycle clubs. In what once was a popular bike capital, a study by Joint Venture Silicon Valley and the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition recently found that only 1.7% of Silicon Valley residents ride their bikes to work today. At the same time, the study argues that the region is poised to become a leader in bicycling.
On Your Left uses the lens of contemporary art to explore the form, function, and symbolism of the bicycle. Through sculpture, installation, video, painting, and drawings, the exhibition considers the bicycle as a meditation on the human experience, as an object of design and craft, and as a catalyst in creating a sustainable future.
Artists consider the bicycle as a way of understanding the natural world around us. Taro Hattori ruminates on the bicycle as an allegory for the cyclical nature of life and how we commemorate it. Taking us out for a ride is Jenny Odell whose work contemplates how riding a bike reformulates our experience of our surroundings. Gale Antokal creates ethereal drawings of bicyclists that evoke a sense of memory and reflect on the passage of time. Shawn HibmaCronan and Marcos Gaitan create sculptures that exemplify the potential of the bicycle form, while Pablo Calderon and Katina Huston create works that immerse us into the inherent aesthetic quality and craft of the bicycle. Andrew Li depicts how bicycles change the landscape of the city. Together, Sergio De La Torre and Chris Treggiari’s work presents the bicycle as an instrument used in circulating posters concerning the future of immigration, justice, and community.
Talking Art, our public program series, engages the community with practical skill-sharing and informative lectures on topics such as bike safety and bike laws. You are invited to participate in a bicycle tour along the Guadalupe River with artist Jenny Odell on July 15th. There will be concentrated times for visitors to contribute to the work of Hattori and create posters with De La Torre and Treggiari’s sculpture.
