2013, 5 removable stickers
dimensions variable
Edition: open
New York’s highly-branded Citibikes have proven quite popular and the response to their impact on city life has been overall positive. Now Christina Kelly and Maddalena Polletta have produced a multiple which allows users of the Citibikes to circumvent the brand, dispensing with the discomfort it may cause to cyclists who are also thinking people. As Kelly reminds us: “Citibank is, after all, one of the big banks that misled investors on exposure to subprime mortgages and used Federal bailout funds for bonuses.” Citibank’s logo appears five times on each of the 6000 bikes. To avoid publicizing the bank while cycling, Kelly and Polletta have produced removable City stickers that obscure the crucial part of the logo. After the ride the sticker is removed and the bike resumes its function as the advertisement that Citibank is entitled to through its sponsorship. The set includes four City stickers to cover the Citibank logo on the wheel and frame, and one Citybike sticker to cover the front basket.
Christina Kelly and Maddalena Polletta
Ride Don’t Advertise
$10.00
Christina Kelly is a Brooklyn based visual artist and filmmaker. In drawings, films, and with her work in the public realm Christina playfully engages with the geography, ecology and history of her hometown. Her work has been presented at Proteus Gowanus, The Rotunda Gallery, The Invisible Dog, dumbo video arts festival, BAM, The New Festival, and Frameline. She was recently a LMCC Swing Space Resident on Governors Island, where she climbed over the seawall with a homemade rope ladder. As a film editor she worked Vijay Mathew, Ramin Bahrani, Casper Andreas and the artist Judy Radul. www.discobikini.com
Maddalena Polletta has lived and worked in New York City for the past 29 years. Since 1991 she has collaborated with a group of Artists and Writers, through the collective Fleabites, on artist books/zines. These books are sold cheaply and distributed via bookstores, collectives and art spaces. Maddalena lives with her husband, Pedro Diez, and son, Dante Diez, in a sixth floor walk-up.
