23 - Artwork: "Beryl" Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Helmet by Sophie Inard

Artwork: "Beryl" Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Helmet by Sophie Inard One-of-a-kind piece, 2024. Harley-Davidson helmet covered with crocheted wool and cotton yarn. Sophie Inard transforms a Harley-Davidson helmet into a textile sculpture by wrapping it in a crocheted “second skin” made of red, black, and white wool yarn. Associated with speed, protection, and biker culture, this iconic object is juxtaposed with a soft material traditionally linked to the domestic sphere. From this contrast emerges a tension between mechanical power and textile delicacy, which challenges conventional notions of strength and femininity. The title refers to Beryl Swain, a British motorcycle racer who, in 1962, became the first woman to compete solo in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. This reference echoes the place of women in a historically male-dominated world. Through this transformation, Sophie Inard explores the notions of protection and vulnerability, while giving a functional object a new identity. Sophie Inard is a French visual artist whose work explores the relationships between power and vulnerability through crochet. By enveloping iconic objects from sports, fashion, and popular culture in a textile “second skin,” she transforms how they are perceived. Crochet, traditionally associated with the intimate and the domestic, is used here to cover objects designed to perform, protect, or assert a form of power. Her work is regularly exhibited in France and the United States and has notably been featured at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio as part of the “Sport & Spectator” exhibition, as well as at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art in the United States. The artwork was donated by Sophie Inard. The lot must be picked up directly from the PLAY International offices in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine (93400), or it can be shipped to you (shipping costs are the responsibility of the buyer).