This summer our friends at Aspex are celebrating all things bicycle with a number of exhibitions and events.

Aspex will be transforming the gallery space into a showcase of some of the most famous bikes ever manufactured. This has been curated by local cycling enthusiast Tim Connell. You can expect everything from Penny Farthings to contemporary custom-built racing bikes and even Connell’s own first bike, a Raleigh Winner.

There will also be an exhibition of bicycle and cycling-inspired artwork, created by artists who live within a 90-minute journey of Portsmouth, and curated in conjunction with Miles Hutchings of www.cyclemiles.co.uk. The gallery’s craft space will also host an exhibition, curated by Oana Damir, entitled “In the frame – Craft”, which will feature beautiful cycle-related items crafted by makers from across the UK.

Aspex director Joanne Bushnell describes “With cycling now of the most popular participation activities in the UK, and people of all ages rediscovering the pleasure of riding a bike, this is the perfect time to celebrate cycling. By taking bikes out of their ordinary context, we want to highlight how these bicycles are fantastic pieces of art in themselves. That is what we want to showcase. With the exhibitions happening in the gallery and the off-site activities taking place in Portsmouth and the surrounding areas, we want to engage with people of all ages and backgrounds and remind them about the simple joy of bike-riding.”

A programme of events is also planned to take place at Aspex and across Portsmouth – including the opportunity to have your two-wheeler tuned up by expert ‘bike doctors’, and a screening, organized in conjunction with No.6 Cinema, of classic bike-themed film The Bicycle Thief, which will be preceded by a tour of Portsmouth locations immortalized in film.

For the full list of events that cover all PO areas over June and July visit the website www.aspex.org.uk/events/in-the-frame.

You can find out more about Aspex on Facebook, Vimeo, Twitter @AspexPortsmouth and Instagram.