Raked, tricked out, souped up, customised – these are just some of the terms with which visitors to the Bermuda National Gallery's new winter exhibition, 'Changing Gears: The Art of the Bermuda Motorcycle' will become familiar as they view the eye-popping display of auxiliary cycles and motorbikes.

To say that an exhibition of this nature in such sophisticated surroundings is a dramatic departure from what is normally shown at the City Hall venue is perhaps an understatement, but to curator Sophie Cressall that is precisely the point.

"I think it is important for the BNG to challenge conventional notions, in addition to which we are looking at being diverse in what we show," she says. "Today's museum has a complex mission. It must, on the one hand, continue to fulfill its historical role of stewardship, and at the same time address a broad range of implicit new responsibilities. It must, for example, recognise the significance and validity of new generations of creative artists whose work, ideas and visual language have been shaped by contemporary culture, as well as traditional art history."

It is not that the BNG aims to shock with what is a very different type of exhibition – although Miss Cressall admits that some of the regular viewers may react that way. Rather, it challenges the conventional notions of what an art museum shows, and poses the age-old questions: 'What is art?' 'What is culture?' 'How do the two intersect?'

"We see the bikes as being a perfect metaphor for 20th and 21st century Bermuda culture," she replies. "Symbolising freedom, escapism, identity, creativity and personal expression, they continue to be a cultural icon which expresses Bermuda's evolving social identity."

In fact, the concept of exhibiting motorcycles in an art museum is not new. The Guggenheim in New York City did it in 1988 with 'The Art of the Motorcyle', which broke attendance records. Given the impressive collection which has been assembled for the BNG exhibition, there is no doubt that it, too, will be extremely popular, not least because Bermudians are weaned on motorised, two-wheel vehicles, and so closely identify with the culture of personalising and customising them.

Certainly, 'Changing Gears' is far from just a parade of immaculately maintained bikes of varying ages.

Rather, the collection traces the history and transformation of the two-wheelers from the first, standard manufacture arrivals here in 1946, when they were simply regarded as the average person's transport, through their gradual transition into increasingly elaborate, personalised and customised expressions of individuality, of which today's super-duper, hand-crafted works of art make the ultimate statement.

To properly prepare for this exhibition, Miss Cressall has done extensive research, decade by decade from the 1950s, with the invaluable assistance of an assortment of bikers, aficionados, airbrush artists and others, including Paul Martins, members of the Classic Bikers Club, the Long Riders' Association, and airbrush artist Robert Rogers, Jr.

"It has been all-encompassing, and I have worked very diligently to find a diverse range of bikes on the Island which answer many different art forms," the curator says.

While space limitations within the gallery have restricted the exhibition to 20 vehicles, two additional one-day shows of more autocycles are planned for February 21 and 28 on the driveway of City Hall, weather permitting. Like the main exhibition, these events will also have an educational component, in that knowledgeable people will be on hand to explain the history and culture of bikes and answer the public's questions.

When frameworking the show initially, Miss Cressall intended to make the 1950s the starting point because that was when Bermudians began modifying and customising their cycles. However, research soon indicated the importance of exhibiting the vehicles in an historical context.

"I realised our audience would need to see what came to the Island first; what Bermudians have done over time to reflect the changes in culture in our society; and how they have used the bike as a canvas to express the culture and times in which we live here," she says.

"The difficulty was in selecting 20 bikes to do this, which is why we have expanded the exhibition to include the two exterior displays as well. The first will feature classic bikes, and the second will be modern bikes."

In a brief overview of the decades, Miss Cressall pinpoints returning American servicemen in the post-war 1950s with ultimately influencing the local craze for individualising motorised cycles.

Known as "bikers", they 'chopped' and' bobbed' off such things as headlights, indicator lights and fenders, raked the front end, and modified the overall appearance to express individuality.

The 1960s was an era when popular culture began to question mainstream approaches. Things like pop art, films 'The Wild Ones' and 'Easy Rider', the first exhibition of contemporary art at the Seth Siegelaub Gallery in New York, singer Aretha Franklin, the mini skirt, and The Twist, all signified change. It was also a time of much experimentation with drugs, and rock and roll music had taken off.

Following on from the chopper culture in America, at age 16 Bermudians began modifying their cycles in ways which were unique to the Island. Pinstriping Mobylettes, modifying Cyrus cycles with a Mobylette 'front end', adding a custom handle bar called a 'monkey bar' or 'soup bowl', and chroming almost everything were just some of the ways owners gave their cycles a unique identity which also reflected a culture unique to the Island. Cutting a Cyrus seat as low as possible and removing the padding, removed its functionality and turned it into an early symbol of artistic expression instead.

Themes of ethnicity, sexuality, alienation and violence pervaded the popular culture of the early 1970s, reflecting the political and social events of the times.

"It was the era of thrills: the disco, wild fashion, make-up, drugs and sex – all exhorting a call to rebellion," Miss Cressall relates. "Again, the motorcycle in Bermuda was used as a representative symbol of response to those turbulent and exciting times. This rebellion was shaped in the 'gang' culture of the motorcycle in Bermuda's youth. Bikes were modified and customised, representing both conformity, personalisation and rebellion.

"Mobylettes, Cyruses, Zundapps and Peugots were modified to blend in with one's group, with the names of the group or gang painted on the chain guards, along with certain structural modifications. Out of these groups came pack racing, which was both illegal and unique to Bermuda. The culture of pack racing continued, but with the increased speed of bikes, and more traffic on the roads, it began to diminish, although it continues today in different forms."

The 1980s brought first-generation computer graphics in arcade games, MTV, breakdancing, installations and performance art, and the synthesizer. It was also a time when rebellion was being broken down, and society reflected this. With these new times came a sense of consumerism, and new-found Asian economic power was manifested in a flood of cheap goods, and cars and motorcycles. Names like Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha were among the widely-purchased bikes of the day, and of course it didn't take long before Bermudians, responding to the prevailing culture, gave their bikes a Bermuda 'feel'.

Just as the 1990s heralded another cultural transformation with the introduction of the Internet, grunge and hip hop culture, so too was the customising of cycles transformed. They were now recognised in the broader context of "works of art", with organised motorbike clubs, such as the Triumph Tiger Club, coming into being, and with them organised shows, including the annual 'Best Bermuda Motorcycle' shows, which were aimed primarily at bikers getting together to admire each other's works of art. In essence, the motorcycle had moved away from the rebellious youth culture of chopping, bobbing, modifying and racing into organised shows.

Today, Bermudians continue to use the motorcycle as a vehicle of expression. Some youths mimic the group/gang culture of the 70s by using their bikes as a symbol of conformity and identity, and painting their retro V50s all the same colour – orange and black. Others use their cycles as an extension of their beliefs and artistic expression, as evidenced by the V50 in the exhibition. The scooter continues to be very fashionable and popular. Dangerous, illegal racing is not as prevalent, instead motocross activities takes place at weekends.

Modified and customised motorcycles, which have been virtually stripped down to the original frame and rebuilt, are well-represented in the exhibition, and will no doubt provide endless fascination for the sheer artistry of their creation.

In a class of their own are the huge custom motorcycles built from scratch by Paul Martins and Dean Boorman from Bermuda Triangle Choppers Ltd. which are astonishing in their creativity and attention to detail, including the superlative airbrush art by Mr. Rogers – even in places you would least suspect.

In fact, two lucky winners of the BNG membership draw for two SYM motorcycles donated by CycleCare, will have a chance to have their vehicles customised to their specifications by Mr. Rogers.

Persons must renew or purchase a membership to BNG to become eligible.

The official public opening of 'Changing Gears: The Art of the Bermuda Motorcycle' (and the other winter exhibitions) is at 4 p.m. on Sunday. For further information and membership fees visit www.bng.bm.