Vesna Bukovec

Cyclists are Coming

Year: 2020
Technique: digital drawing

With its title, the drawing pays homage to the Duba Sambolec’s 1976 sculpture of a female motorist, Women are Coming, which represents the first feminist artwork in Slovenia.

The drawing depicts a mass of female bicyclists from the anti-government bicycle protests that took place during the epidemic in 2020. The protests arose as a response to the destructive government policies that caused the disintegration of democratic values as well as a revolt against the politics of hatred, corruption and the deepening of social differences and destructive cultural policies. They are intertwined with the fight for climate justice and freedom of the press and with the assertion for fundamental human rights and social solidarity.

In the history of the women’s movement, the bicycle has a special place, as it gave women mobility, freed them from the constrictive corset and significantly contributed to equality. The drawing is also a commentary on the censored cover of the book The Unforgettable: The Women Pushing the Boundaries of Our World. In the last minute, Mladinska knjiga Publishing House decided to remove from the cover the image of female bicyclists, because of its association with the current anti-government protests.

 
 
STATEMENT: I changed the title of my drawing from Women are Coming to Cyclists are Coming on 31 January 2023 due to the withdrawal of Duba Sambolec’s consent to use the identical title. Vesna Bukovec