The Bikeriders
ATLAS Gallery, London
19 June - 16 August 2014
Role:
Assistant Curator
Team:
Ben Burdett, Gallery Director
Jim Edwards, Gallery Manager
With thanks to:
Terry Etherton
19 June - 16 August 2014
Role:
Assistant Curator
Team:
Ben Burdett, Gallery Director
Jim Edwards, Gallery Manager
With thanks to:
Terry Etherton
The Bikeriders is an iconic work of modern photojournalism that gives a raw and lively insight into the biker culture of the 1960s, captured between 1963 and 1967 when a young Danny Lyon immersed himself completely into the lives and culture of the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club.
Lyon’s approach was to document his subjects intimately from the inside, rather than observing as an outsider. He spent four years with club members on long distance rides, at meets, races and informal gatherings across the United States, in locations including Milwaukee, Long Island New York, Chicago, New Orleans and Detroit.
By befriending his subjects, Lyon was able to photograph and record interviews along the way, creating an extensive archive of black and white photographs that reveal the depth and nuance of the characters depicted and the associated narratives of a hugely-stereotyped sub-culture.
Lyon’s body of work was instrumental in demystifying preconceptions surrounding biker culture and remains a seminal work on the non-commercial face of 1960s America.
Lyon’s approach was to document his subjects intimately from the inside, rather than observing as an outsider. He spent four years with club members on long distance rides, at meets, races and informal gatherings across the United States, in locations including Milwaukee, Long Island New York, Chicago, New Orleans and Detroit.
By befriending his subjects, Lyon was able to photograph and record interviews along the way, creating an extensive archive of black and white photographs that reveal the depth and nuance of the characters depicted and the associated narratives of a hugely-stereotyped sub-culture.
Lyon’s body of work was instrumental in demystifying preconceptions surrounding biker culture and remains a seminal work on the non-commercial face of 1960s America.