The exhibition called Ride at the EPO1 Centre for Contemporary Art in Trutnov focuses on the depiction of bicycles and their role in the life of man. The former power plant will house works by more than forty artists of several generations. The focal point of the monumentally conceived show consists in works by sculptors (Jakub Flejšar, Karel Nepraš, Zdeněk Němeček, Paulina Skavová, Čestmír Suška, Vratislav Karel Novák) and installation artists (Jiří Černický, Jiří David, Krištof Kintera, Filip and Lukáš Houdek, Jan Stolín) in the turbine hall. Painters include Alena Anderlová, František Mertl, who is globally renowned as FRANTA, Ondřej Kohout, Michael Rittstein, Petr Písařík, Natálie Roučková, Karel Štědrý, Jakub Špaňhel, and Lubomír Typlt. They show the bicycle and cycling in various forms. The bicycle becomes a fascinating, beautiful object, but also a metaphor for human existence, proof of a symbiosis between an object and man, as well as an expression of the purest energy that can be produced.
It is the most extensive exhibition ever devoted to the phenomenon of bicycles and cycling on a Czech and international basis. It will be the première for a number of objects and paintings that were created specifically for the unique environment of the industrial gallery, one of the largest private cultural institutions in the Czech Republic, which is a significant piece of architecture on its own. The Tour de France atmosphere will be elicited by the winners’ cups designed by Peter Oláh and by pictures by Markéta Navrátilová, a renowned photographer who has documented the most famous cycling race up close many times. From a broader point of view, the exhibition connects art and sport, so both art lovers and sports enthusiasts will enjoy the show, as will children, who will certainly appreciate the rich programme.
The Ride also includes a number of accompanying events with cycling legends such as Jan Svorada, Pavel Padrnos, Lubor Tesař and Roman Kreuzinger. Visitors can also look forward to actor, architect and keen cyclist David Vávra.