Lowriders turned high art by Carlos Rolon

James Greig | August 26, 2016

When's the last time you saw a bicycle with this much bling?

These outlandish machines were created by the artist Dzine — pronounced “design” — who is more commonly known as Carlos Rolon.

Rolon was raised in one of the only Puerto Rican families in southwest Chicago during the 1970s, an upbringing which seems to have made him wary of pigeonholing when it comes to his art.

According to his Artsy profile “He shifts between easel painting, sculpture, installation, and large-scale murals, exploring cultural tensions, aspirational mobility, and outward appearances through a uniquely biographical, immigrant-focused lens. The artist’s work is largely concerned with ‘kustom kulture’ a retro-tinged blue collar aesthetic, and its relationship to faux opulence and upper-class aspiration. This focus on over-the-top glamour addresses Dzine’s personal grappling with his dual mainland-American and Puerto Rican identity”.

More than one of Dzine’s outrageously adorned creations take the form of a bicycle, as rickshaws, ghost bikes and trikes are transformed into other-worldly dream cruisers.

Making use of materials including suede, artificial flowers, 24kt gold plating and even Swarovski crystals, this is not a look that’s easily replicated down your local bike shop.