With this project I am confronted with the task of taking a closer look at an entire culture, movement and artform and also with breaking down its visual culture.
1980s
2000s
2010+
This is where I find the link to the past...
By Baris Meurer
"I love the medieval art. I like the flatness of it, the decoration and all of the meaning put into it. And I grew up a huge fan of [German and Austrian painters like Egon] Schiele and [Gustav] Klimt and Oskar Kokoschka. [A] friend at the show said, [my paintings were] like a suburban Otto Dix. He liked the social satire. That was a real compliment.
I also love Hockney. If you grew up in England and you come to California and revel in the sunniness, I see that. I’m not copying it but I understand it, I see the vibe. I don’t think a painter can touch a pool without invoking Hockney because he spent so much time working on the problems of the body of water. [My] painting of the man watering the lawn, I think of that Hockney with a green lawn and sprinklers. Mine adds the human element. I’m interested in people and what’s happening with them and the human condition."
A major part of the skateboarding visual culture stands on the shoulders of pioneers like Ed Templeton. An artist born through skateboarding culture mixing his interest in medieval art and combines it with social satire and the raw counter culture aesthetic of skateboarding.
Inspirations for skateboarding art came from a plethora of places: Comic Books, Rock and Roll posters. Skateboards needed graphics and so the niche was born
The process of screen printing graphics onto skateboards required thick key lines and bold graphics, which in turn had a direct influence on Jim’s illustrative style.
Bouklao is an emerging illustrator and animator from Cairo, Egypt. He also employs heavy use of social satire with his topics centering around skater culture and lifestyle, however not limited to just that either.
I used to really enjoy his work as a young skater and as a result I think it very much influenced my style as well.
The Colorado Punk Scene was a big influence on the skateboarding world. Punk, Rock n' Roll and other counter culture's rebelious rebelious visual culture was a cornerstone of the skateboarding visual style.
"The new economy of skate companies created by skaters, for skaters, instituted a healthy competition for creativity to thrive. Punk music’s aggressive, angry and general feeling of discontent resonated with those skateboarders let down by huge companies – and official institutions more broadly. This punk influence introduced skateboarders to underground culture and zines, or a small magazine that is produced cheaply by one person or a small group of people and is about a subject they are interested in. These zines soon became major publications like Thrasher that are still around today. Now that skaters had a platform, the competition grew thicker, and skateboarding really gained its voice as an art form through board design, film, graphic design and architecture while still remaining its image of the punky poor skateboarder – until now."
Skateboarding companies naturally flourished to fill the newborn market. New companies meant a need for branding. Creativity in this field went a long way paving the road for unique, culturally relevant branding and art.
Before I could begin to start making stuff I wanted to really ping down and explain what skateboarding visual culture was, however, I found this to be rather difficult so instead I opted to make a list of qualities that I could see.
By Baris Meurer
One of the first things I made, i wanted to make something psychedelic and trippy. After seeing the set design of MC Escher's labarynth set and had an idea to turn it into a trippy skatepark of sorts.
I started playing around with it as a base for other creations like a poster. I wasn't able to make something amazing out of it, but maybe some day I can use it for something. Although, it does look rather visually interesting on its own.
MC Escher Inspired Skatepark
Looking for Spots
This illustration was born out of me wanting to make something more culturally relevant to my skate scene.
This drawing is a commentary on the amount of places to skate in Egypt. I'm rather excited about it becuase I don't usually make that many illustrations.
Animations
These groups of animations were born out of something I saw on instagram. I decided to make a couple animations of 2 tricks from some of my favorite skaters.
I wanted to keep it as simple as possible so that it didn't take incredibly long. This ended up making things look incredibly interesting. The 2D lines seem to create the 3D effect when played one after the other.
Another thing I realized was that it was really cool that I could tell each skater apart from the way that they moved their body.
This animation was a product of me doodling on some post-it notes. I had been thinking about how long my hair is getting over quarantine.
These illustrations were some of my ideas on the final days that never got the opportunity to make it digital. Some day they will though.