960 stainless steel bicycles /
1349 x 368 x 954 /
Courtesy of the artist and Lisson Gallery /
“The bicycle is one of the few objects every household had when I was growing up. Society back then was very poor. To have a bike was a luxury. Forever bicycles were the best brand at the time.
If a family had a Forever bicycle, it would be the most admirable for the rest of the children. They would even run after the bicycle. It is durable and practical. Built-strong for the country road.
Today, since I started doing architecture and teaching students how to build, I use the bicycle to teach them they can build with any material, not just bricks and concrete. That’s how it started. I think it’s interesting to use a ready-made. You can recall Duchamp’s Bicycle Wheel. I use this readymade which is something the whole society is familiar with. Even today in rich nations biking is a form of exercise and is very popular. It’s related to people. In China, this is changing. More cars are on the road and the air is getting increasingly polluted. There are many aspects to the bicycle.
