Famed artist Ali Weiwei transforms the bicycle into a pair of new silkscreen prints adorned with precious metal leaf, the latest in his use of the humble vehicle as a long-term motif.
Weiwei, one of the most influential artists of today, moves between sculpture, installation, film, and social commentary, says Galerie LeRoyer in Montreal, where the prints are on display through March 31, 2026. (Source)
“Throughout his career, he has used the bicycle as a powerful symbolic motif to explore cultural memory and social change, most notably in his seminal Forever Bicycles series, where thousands of bicycles are assembled into towering abstract monuments -” Galerie LeRoyer.
In the video below and the image above, Weiwei’s Forever Bicycles installation – consisting of 1,266 interconnected bicycle frames – in Winnipeg, on loan from the National Gallery of Canada (more here).
Top of post: Ali Weiwei at work on a bicycle lithograph (source)
Galerie LeRoyer, here.
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Oh my, such memories! I saw the Ai Wei Wei exhibition at the AGO in 2013, with its ancillary installations, including the bicycle installation, at City Hall. The AGO was taken by surprise — they thought the massive David Bowie show would be the huge hit, with Ai Wei Wei almost an afterthought. Quite the reverse, it turned out.
Great video and interesting sculpture. I love public art, so everyone can enjoy it.
Clever idea!