Radical Rides

Ever since Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper set off on their epic journey in the 1969 classic film Easy Rider, America’s fascination with the motorcycle has never been the same. Today, this symbol of rebellion and the counterculture has become an accepted, artistic movement, embraced by art galleries and museums around the world. The motorcycle industry itself has developed into a $21 billion dollar a year business in the U.S. with its own stars and celebrities, whose creativity and innovations have elevated this mode of transportation into an art form. Mesa Contemporary Arts is pleased to showcase this ingenuity in Radical Rides: The “Art” of Motorcycles with motorcycles by prominent designers Ron Finch, Laura Klock, Paul Yaffe as well as an art motorcycle by visual artist Lee Stoetzel. Also on display are several customized motorcycle tank “canvases” that have been transformed into works of art by leading motorcycle painters and contemporary artists along with portraits of celebrated motorcycle artists by photographer Tom Zimberoff.