Electrabike

Los Angeles is a true megacity. It’s the second most populous city in the US, and the 14th largest urban area in the world. And as anyone who has ever visited the City of Angels knows, driving in LA is often less than heavenly; Los Angeles is the most congested city in the country. Trying to get anywhere in LA during rush hour is enough to make even the most steadfast urbanite want to head for the hills. But first they’ll have to wade through a bottleneck or two. Or three or four. The average Angeleno spends around 72 hours a year snarled in traffic.  Southern California is amongst the most car-dependent regions of the country, and LA is at the pinnacle.

But despite the myriad labyrinth of streets, freeways, overpasses, super highways and urban sprawl, and the ever-present hum of engines and honking of horns, LA is developing a vibrant bike culture. Perhaps as a backlash to the city’s critical car addiction, perhaps as a practical alternative to sitting in traffic, biking is becoming more and more popular amongst Southern Californians who have taken to the streets to redefine their interaction with a cityscape engineered for automobiles. Re:Cycle–Bike Culture in Southern California, now at UC Riverside’s Sweeney Art Gallery, takes a closer look at the changing relationship between humans and the urban environment when bikes supplement cars for the purpose of transport. According to exhibit literature, Re:Cycle examines the “shifting value system that looks towards alternate means of transportation, the promotion of healthy lifestyles, and a cultural shift from consumption to sustainability,” accomplishing this via art in various mediums—ranging from photographs and film, to handmade cycling apparel emblazoned with share-the-road adages  (“This lane is my lane. This lane is your lane.”)—to celebrate the influence of bikes on art, culture and the urban environment.

The show opened October 7 and will continue through December 31, with related special events planned throughout.  More information, including hours and admission, can be found here.

UCR Sweeney Art Gallery,3834 Main Street, Riverside, CA 92501, (951) 827-3755

Photos courtesy of UCR Sweeney Art Gallery.

Inside the exhibit.

View from inside the exhibit--including tall bike, right, by Timo Fahler.

Featured work, right, by Lisa Anne Auerbach.