ASYLUM

As a kid who wasn’t interested in group sport or other social activities, Skateboarding was the way I spent most of my free time. Throughout life, skateparks always symbolized a place of non-judgement and acceptance. What seems senseless and “anti-establishment” to most people was one of the most formative and stable parts of my life.

 Growing up in the subculture of skateboarding, I was exposed to skaters and artists like Sean Malto, Spike Jonze, Mark Gonzales and Ed Templeton. What intrigued me most about these people was more than skateboarding, it was their profound self-expression and artistic capabilities. In the past year, I have been documenting my peers in skateboarding across the country, as well as abroad in Scotland. Most of the people I photographed were initially strangers. Our shared experience and connection to this form of expression was all we needed to break the barrier and start a conversation. The photographs in this work speak to the solace and sense of community found by skaters at skateparks everywhere.

This project came to a sharing point on 5/17/24 where it was shown for the first time at the Chester Art Gallery in Henniker NH. The first half of the showing was hosted at a local skatepark in which a skate jam was hosted. The second half was in the gallery showing the physical work. skaters will be skaters and of course their where some games of skate going down in the gallery parking lot.