The public-art initiative l'art en mouvement is transforming Montreal's dull grey BIXI bikes and stations into colourful mobile and open-air exhibitions across the city this summer.
Three Concordia alumni Trevor Kiernander, BFA 06, Gabor Bata, BFA 19, MFA 23, and Alexandra Riesbri, BFA 24, are among the artists contributing to the project.
Artists and Concordia alumni Alexandra Riesbri, Trevor Kiernander and Gabor Bata. | Photos by Angelique Labbadi
"I love that my work can be part of something with this broad of a reach and that can be part of the city's summer," says Bata. "It's a fun challenge, to make a design that you're creatively excited about while also making something that you hope people will connect with and want to ride."
Kiernander, who's also a part-time instructor in Concordia's Department of Studio Arts, agrees that the project offers a fun way to get their work out of the gallery and into the streets. "It's the first time I have worked on a project like this or painted on a relatively slim three-dimensional object. I'm happy with the results."
For Riesbri, the project carries personal significance. "As an immigrant, seeing my artwork become part of the city's everyday landscape is incredibly welcoming and meaningful," she says.
"There is something special about knowing that the work is moving through different neighbourhoods and reaching people in unexpected ways."
From classrooms to city-wide circulation
Riesbri adds that the experience builds on work she began during her studies at Concordia, including participation in the REM 1% public art project. "The confidence to engage in those kinds of interdisciplinary collaborations was something I developed through Concordia's public art program," she says.
The projects also provided her with the opportunity to work with engineers, architects and design teams.
While their contributions to L'art en movement make their way around the city, the three alumni artists are already busy working on new projects.
Kiernander is preparing for upcoming exhibitions and the launch of Pictura, a Montreal-wide painting triennial scheduled for fall 2026.
Riesbri will present a solo exhibition in Montreal this November at Fais-moi l'art, exploring themes of heat, ecology and migration.
Bata will undertake a residency at DUPLEX in Lisbon this summer, focusing on drawing-based work developed in an expanded studio context.
Learn more about L'art en mouvement and visit Concordia's Department of Studio Arts.
