Paul Simonon: Painting and Biking in London and LA brings together five paintings that trace the artist’s lifelong connection to biker culture, from the streets of Paddington in the 1960s to his time in California in the 1980s. Painted a decade ago and drawn from Simonon’s personal collection, the works depict jackets, gloves, bikes, and helmets as quiet still lifes and reveal the profound influence biker culture has had on shaping Simonon’s artistic output, in both painting and music.

Riding through Los Angeles on old Harleys in the early 1980s, Paul Simonon became part of a loose, moving fraternity of musicians and bikes. After the break-up of The Clash, Simonon and fellow musician Nigel Dixon travelled to the United States, bought vintage Harleys in El Paso, and rode west to California. For months they cruised around LA with friends including Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols – “like a long, leather motorcycle snake,” as Simonon recalls.

The five works shown at the LA Art Show are from Simonon’s own collection and were featured in Wot No Bike, his 2014 exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art, London. Drawing on motifs redolent of classical memento mori, Simonon evokes personality through still lifes of jackets, gloves, bikes, cigarettes, and helmets, at rest after the ride. These works reflect a lifelong engagement with biking culture, its objects, rituals, and endurance. As Simonon says, “A leather jacket never ages.”