Madhouse
J Shia The Manipulated
Jay Donovan Stingray
J Shia RE Indian
J Shia Buggati Wire Form
Cristian Sosa Tochtli
Cristian Sosa Space traveler
J Shia Micro-illumination
About the Artist
The Manipulated marked the genesis of J’s Pareidolia Series and a defining moment in the evolution of the “art bike.” Hand-built in 70 days, this singular machine merges fine art, found objects, and custom motorcycle fabrication into a fully functional sculptural work. From its pull-start mechanism fashioned from an antique bolt-cutter arm to a taillight made from a Boston sewer drain, every detail transforms the discarded into the unexpected.
Internationally recognized, The Manipulated became the catalyst that set J’s career in motion and helped establish the motorcycle as a legitimate medium for contemporary art.
J Shia is an internationally known, award-winning custom motorcycle designer and builder. She is the founding proprietor of Madhouse Motors, LLC of Boston, Massachusetts, and has been featured on platforms such at The New York Times, NPR, Forbes Magazine, The Institute of Contemporary Art, The Boston Globe, BMW, Harley Davidson, Ebay Motors and more. J Shia is the youngest, only living female, and only Arab-American to have a motorcycle acquired by Harley Davidson. J has spoken Honorarium at Brown University, Northeastern University, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and the BMW 100 year Berlin conference.
While electric motorcycles offer remarkable technological potential, their forms have often remained restrained by the absence of the mechanical drama that defines traditional motorcycles. Stingray addresses this challenge by allowing aerodynamics, cooling, and sculpture to become one unified expression.
The entire body is hand-formed from aluminum using traditional coach-building techniques. Beneath its flowing surfaces, a network of integrated air tunnels directs cooling air through the sculpture itself, making thermal management an intrinsic part of the design rather than an engineering afterthought. Every curve serves both aesthetic and functional purposes, blurring the boundary between sculpture and machine.
Jay Donovan is a Canadian sculptor and metal artisan whose work explores the space where engineering, craftsmanship, and fine art intersect. Every project is built entirely by hand, using traditional metal-forming techniques alongside contemporary engineering and digital technologies. Rather than viewing the motorcycle as a vehicle, Donovan approaches it as a sculptural medium—one capable of expressing movement, tension, and emotion through form.
His work has been exhibited internationally and is held in prominent private collections, including the Haas Moto Museum. Each piece is conceived as a singular work, with no two motorcycles ever repeated.
A reimagined swing arm, adjustable dual-monoshock system, egg slicer tail light, modified 1940s Indian fender, and seat pan constructed from an antique Radio Flyer yoke transform utilitarian remnants into functional sculpture. More than a motorcycle, the work marked J’s continued movement into the art world, expanding her practice from custom fabrication into a distinct language of found-object assemblage, mechanical invention, and sculptural storytelling.
J Shia is an internationally known, award-winning custom motorcycle designer and builder. She is the founding proprietor of Madhouse Motors, LLC of Boston, Massachusetts, and has been featured on platforms such at The New York Times, NPR, Forbes Magazine, The Institute of Contemporary Art, The Boston Globe, BMW, Harley Davidson, Ebay Motors and more. J Shia is the youngest, only living female, and only Arab-American to have a motorcycle acquired by Harley Davidson. J has spoken Honorarium at Brown University, Northeastern University, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and the BMW 100 year Berlin conference.
J Shia is an internationally known, award-winning custom motorcycle designer and builder. She is the founding proprietor of Madhouse Motors, LLC of Boston, Massachusetts, and has been featured on platforms such at The New York Times, NPR, Forbes Magazine, The Institute of Contemporary Art, The Boston Globe, BMW, Harley Davidson, Ebay Motors and more. J Shia is the youngest, only living female, and only Arab-American to have a motorcycle acquired by Harley Davidson. J has spoken Honorarium at Brown University, Northeastern University, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and the BMW 100 year Berlin conference.
J Shia is an internationally known, award-winning custom motorcycle designer and builder. She is the founding proprietor of Madhouse Motors, LLC of Boston, Massachusetts, and has been featured on platforms such at The New York Times, NPR, Forbes Magazine, The Institute of Contemporary Art, The Boston Globe, BMW, Harley Davidson, Ebay Motors and more. J Shia is the youngest, only living female, and only Arab-American to have a motorcycle acquired by Harley Davidson. J has spoken Honorarium at Brown University, Northeastern University, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and the BMW 100 year Berlin conference.
Exhibiting Artists