Ride or Die is a body of work commissioned by BRIC in 2017, featuring sculptures of customized vintage Schwinn bicycles that commemorate the traditions of Puerto Rican bike clubs in New York. Through the use of vintage bicycles and historic ephemera, signature features such as bike color and year of production become symbolic touchstones in representing Puerto Rican politics and migration histories. This body of work, produced at the centennial mark of US citizenship for Puerto Ricans (1917–2017), questions the colonial relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico while exploring the current economic and political crisis on the island and its implications for the diaspora.

Made from the frames of two 1952 Schwinn Phantom bicycles, this work commemorates the year of Puerto Rico’s constitution and the beginning of its commonwealth status. Red is emblematic of the Partido Popular Democrático (the Popular Democratic Party, which supports maintaining the political status...

You do not currently have access to this content.