A life-sized sculpture of man racing a motorcycle - based on a Suzuki GSXR 1000K7 - made from welded and rivetted stainless steel, with a rider made from pieces of glass tied up with stainless steel wire is perhaps the most intriguing piece of art on view this TT.
In Bulgarian artist Nikola Nikolov’s own words: ‘The Glass Rider symbolises the fragility (as well as the indestructible spirited nature) of riders who do not stop re-creating themselves.’
Nikola spent more than 400 hours creating ‘The Glass Rider’ in his studio in Wormerveer, the Netherlands, which he then exhibited in London and Amsterdam before packing it on to a trailer for its trip to the Isle of Man.
Displayed under spotlights in the window of the Sayle Gallery in Douglas, visitors have been flooding in to see it and talk to the artist/
‘It was a labour of love,’ said Nikola. ‘As a professional chef I had unlimited supplies of kitchen trays, and of course of liquor bottles and broken glasses.
‘I’ve made sculptures from many different materials like old cars and washing machine drums before, but ‘The Glass Rider’ is probably the most complex – and, of course, completely appropriate for the Isle of Man.’
Since first riding a bike, Nikola has been a huge fan of the TT.
‘“This is my first visit to the Island and to the TT,’ he said. ‘I have been overwhelmed by the interest shown to “The Glass Rider” from both bike fans and art enthusiasts and I’d love it if “The Glass Rider” were bought by someone here on the island.
‘Even so, I’m sure I’ll back for another visit - with my own bike – everyone has been so friendly and welcoming. I am very grateful to the Isle of Man Arts Council and to the Isle of Man Steam Packet for their support.’
Nikola Nikolov trained at the school of applied arts in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he specialised in working with metal, while also receiving classical training in drawing and modelling. He then moved to Paris to work with fashion designer Paco Rabanne, and moved to ABK Maastrict in the Netherlands in 1996. He graduated from the Sandberg Insititute in Amsterdam in 2002 and formed Studio-Re-Creation in 2009, developing his art of working with discarded materials.
The Glass Rider has been exhibited at the London Design Festival and in Amsterdam.
‘The Glass Rider’ is now on show at the Villa Marina until Wednesday, and then back at the Sayle Gallery until Saturday. Nikola has signed posters of the sculpture, which cost £5-£10 depending on size, and which can be bought from the Sayle Gallery.