Photo: Ondrej Szollosz and Tom Hnida
Most cyclists will personalize their bikes with a bell, or maybe some quirky accessory, or a decal. This one, Lyndon by his first name, did it by having his favorite works of writer Franz Kafka brought to life on his Festka bike.
Festka is not a name that needs any introduction with well-heeled cyclists, but for us regular folk, it does: it is a Czech-based frame builder that delivers some of the rarest and most durable bikes out there. Demand for these bikes, though priced in the many thousands of dollars range, is insane, and the client list includes the likes of actor Orlando Bloom or millionaires the world over. Still, they make only a limited number of carbon frames per year.
Festka is also known for its daring collaborations with artists and graphic designers, who add an even more exclusive (and artsy) note to an already very exclusive product. The latest one-off is also that: a Festka bike inspired by the works of the writer Franz Kafka.
If luxury was ever art, this is one of those cases. Festka tells us that the client is Lyndon, a NYC-based advisor on hostile corporate takeovers with a passion for Kafka’s works. In fact, he loves them so much that he knows them by heart, so he wanted to have a part of that universe with him out into the real world. Since Festka is no stranger to challenges of this type, Lyndon went directly to Festka art director Tom Hnida to discuss the project.
Michal Bacak, a graphic designer and artist whose most recent commission was for the Hermes fashion house, was brought onboard. Bacak had worked with Festka before, most notably on the Porcelain Spectre, and he seemed intrigued at the idea of painting a bike after Kafka’s writings.
The brief included Lyndon’s favorite stories, “The Hunger Artist” and “A Message from the Emperor,” and a few favorite quotes. Bacak read the author’s works from end to end, and added a few more suggestions, including “Excursion into the Mountains,” “First Sorrow” and “A Little Woman,” and created sketches based on those. Lyndon loved the idea, and gave Bacak the greenlight.
The result is a rolling piece of art, in the most literal sense. The basis for the bike is a Festka Scalatore with a custom geometry, a wireless SRAM Red groupset, ENVE cockpit and ENVE SES wheels. The frame is painted with imagery and words from Kafka, in what Bacak calls his most challenging project to date.
“It wasn't so much the technique or color scheme but the content,” he explains. “Me transferring bits from Kafka’s unique universe onto a bicycle! I don't think I could say I came to understand fully this literary genius, but I believe I got closer to him through reinterpreting, in my own way, several truly Kafkaesque scenes from his work.”
This ultimate luxury toy slash art piece can be admired in the photos in the gallery. Festka has not revealed the final price tag of the project, but it’s of the “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it” kind. A standard artsy Festka can be priced as much as $30,000, so do let your mind run wild with how much this one must’ve cost.
Festka is also known for its daring collaborations with artists and graphic designers, who add an even more exclusive (and artsy) note to an already very exclusive product. The latest one-off is also that: a Festka bike inspired by the works of the writer Franz Kafka.
If luxury was ever art, this is one of those cases. Festka tells us that the client is Lyndon, a NYC-based advisor on hostile corporate takeovers with a passion for Kafka’s works. In fact, he loves them so much that he knows them by heart, so he wanted to have a part of that universe with him out into the real world. Since Festka is no stranger to challenges of this type, Lyndon went directly to Festka art director Tom Hnida to discuss the project.
Michal Bacak, a graphic designer and artist whose most recent commission was for the Hermes fashion house, was brought onboard. Bacak had worked with Festka before, most notably on the Porcelain Spectre, and he seemed intrigued at the idea of painting a bike after Kafka’s writings.
The brief included Lyndon’s favorite stories, “The Hunger Artist” and “A Message from the Emperor,” and a few favorite quotes. Bacak read the author’s works from end to end, and added a few more suggestions, including “Excursion into the Mountains,” “First Sorrow” and “A Little Woman,” and created sketches based on those. Lyndon loved the idea, and gave Bacak the greenlight.
The result is a rolling piece of art, in the most literal sense. The basis for the bike is a Festka Scalatore with a custom geometry, a wireless SRAM Red groupset, ENVE cockpit and ENVE SES wheels. The frame is painted with imagery and words from Kafka, in what Bacak calls his most challenging project to date.
“It wasn't so much the technique or color scheme but the content,” he explains. “Me transferring bits from Kafka’s unique universe onto a bicycle! I don't think I could say I came to understand fully this literary genius, but I believe I got closer to him through reinterpreting, in my own way, several truly Kafkaesque scenes from his work.”
This ultimate luxury toy slash art piece can be admired in the photos in the gallery. Festka has not revealed the final price tag of the project, but it’s of the “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it” kind. A standard artsy Festka can be priced as much as $30,000, so do let your mind run wild with how much this one must’ve cost.
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