Covered Motorbike

“Covered Motorbike” is a bronze sculpture by British artist Jonathan Monk, who was born in 1969. The association you would normally have with a motorcycle, a cool vehicle that tears down the road, has disappeared. Instead we see a large and bulky object. The motorbike is under the cover, the subject of the image remains a secret, so to speak.

Monk’s works often refer to creations by conceptual and minimalist artists, and he does so with a lot of humour and irony. He uses various art forms, such as photography, sculptures, installations and performances. For example, at Copenhagen Airport in the 1990s he took on the role of a chauffeur who supposedly waited for stars like Marcel Duchamp, Elizabeth Taylor, Jeff Koons and Kate Moss. By using iconic names he played with the cult of celebrity.

His sculptures and installations that reference the work of other artists are witty and ironic, and straddle the fine line between admiration and criticism. On the one hand, the works can be seen as a tribute to conceptual and minimalist artists, but on the other hand, Monk challenges such things as authorship, authenticity and the pretensions and commercialism found in the art world. Yet his mockery is playful and inviting rather than negative. His work provides a fresh perspective on art and invites you to think more deeply about the nature and purpose of art.