THE BIKE SHOW at A*Level (Homestead Gallery Complex, 124 Peter) to October 14. 416-345-0003. Rating: NNN
artist and gallery proprietor Lucia de L’Amour’s Bike Show manages to be both absurd and utterly sweet. She’s borrowed a selection of vintage bicycles dating from the 1930s through the 70s from George McKillop, who runs a bike repair shop in Kensington Market, in the alley off Augusta north of Baldwin, and with the help of Michael Adamson has staged them in a pair of vignettes that they’ve called Rules Of The Game and Love Story.
Two leftover bits — a handmade 30s aluminum frame and a seatless 1930s tricycle — are upstairs in L’Amour’s bathroom.
This is a show with infectious charm — at least for those who’ve had the pleasure of loving their bicycles. It’s also rich in references to the birth of conceptual art (think Marcel Duchamp’s ready-mades). It doesn’t pretend to be deep, but it gets you there.
deirdre@nowtoronto.com