Three new bicycle works of art were unveiled in Veghel on Friday afternoon along the F50 fast cycle route. The first statue in a series of ten was placed at the beginning of May. Not much later there was a commotion because the cyclist was cycling with her hands loose. The big question now is whether the new works of art show ‘safe behavior’ and whether Lonneke now cycles with her hands on the handlebars.
A number of large canvases are proudly removed from the new statues by artist Florentijn Hofman. “It is Kaya, a student with her bag on the way to school. And the other two images are two cycling friends at the start of their route.”
“They do have their hands on the wheel,” he adds. He is referring to the commotion that arose after the unveiling of the first work of art. “Two of the cyclists pictured are even wearing helmets.”
Previously, there was quite a fuss about the first work of art, which was installed at the beginning of May. According to Veilig Verkeer Nederland, the image shows life-threatening behavior. “It’s funny. I hope people now understand that art goes further than just rules,” Hofman responds.
Lonneke, as the cyclist depicted is called, sits on her bicycle with her arms in the air. According to the artist, the statue should represent freedom and joy. “As a cyclist you can go anywhere. Lonneke was a young person and cycled into the future. You don’t do that with your hands on the handlebars.”
“It’s not that I always cycle with my hands loose,” adds Lonneke Vermeulen the artist. “I think it’s a bit exaggerated that people react so negatively to it. I don’t really care about it. It was just a very nice experience for me.”
A few years ago she saw an advertisement in the newspaper. Models were sought for the statues. “I was chosen and that was great fun. A 3D scan was made of me on the bike. Florentijn held my bike when I stood with my arms up, because of course it didn’t stay still at that moment.”
“That is also a bit of the artistic freedom you can grant an artist.”
The big question that remains is of course: does Lonneke now have her hands on the wheel? “No, there will be no adjustments to the image. That is also a bit of the artistic freedom that you can grant an artist,” says Menno Roozendaal, councilor of the municipality of Meierijstad.
The ten life-size statues are located along the F50 fast cycle route between Veghel and Uden. A few years ago, in collaboration with the province of North Brabant, Kunstloc Brabant, Kunststichting Meierijstad and the municipality of Meierijstad, the idea arose to embellish the route with art. Residents from Meierijstad served as models for the implementation.
