Conclusions

Entertaining and eye-opening, perverse and unsaddled, Pedalphilia received giggles and gasps from all genders and ages. From my observation, any anxieties that resulted from the sexually explicit nature of my exhibition seemed to be neutralized by its poignant humor and seductive mystery. Much like the X Portfolio by Robert Mapplethorpe, these artworks embracing forbidden matters which usually remain in sequestered, subcultural sectors were now on parade for all to see. The public was once again confronted by the private.

Is it pornography, or is it art?

The fine art showroom aesthetic proved to be a favorable arrangement for displaying my erotic bicycle art, leaving the precariously and deliberately unresolved question to remain, “Is it pornography, or is it art?” The natural or socialized human tendency to categorize things is apparent everywhere. “The categories are our own, and our culture’s — so, finally, the images themselves, under the pressure of our categories, don’t seem to be anything in particular.”34 Consequently, rather than submit to one side or the other, I prefer to thrive within a fuzzy margin.

And so, the love affair between girl and bike lives on in my art, life, and pornographic imagination, each one throwing the other into gear like a perpetual pedaling machine. Life has proven that there are more ways than one to skin a pussycat; therefore, the emphasis of phallocentricity will most likely be minimized within my work, giving way to other means of non-penetrating gratification. By the same token, true vibratory devices may also be explored for a more titillating erotic cycling experience. Inescapably, in order to encompass a wider variety of bicycle-loving genders and broaden the scope of sexual normality among women and men, supplementary female and male characters will be added to my “eros-cycling” cast. Long live Merry Saddles™. www.merrysaddles.com (Currently referred to as, www.pedalphilia.com)