Against the Grain celebrates skate culture and the camera over the last 50 years

Against the Grain: Skate Culture and the Camera is a touring exhibition that celebrates the phenomena of skateboarding with the photographers and filmmakers who documented the movement.

Glen E. Friedman, Chuck Askerneese and Marty Grimes at Kenter Canyon, 1975

Glen E. Friedman, Chuck Askerneese and Marty Grimes at Kenter Canyon, 1975

Despite the subculture’s influence and resonance in almost every aspect of popular culture, this emblem of freedom and rebellion has been largely ignored as an art form... until now.

Brought together for the first time, this historical review highlights behind the scene glimpses and cultural shifts associated with skateboarding throughout the past 50 years. Pioneering figures skating Southern California pools and schoolyard banks of the 1970s are portrayed, as well as devious manipulations of urban architecture shaping new chapters of skateboarding’s evolution.

Curated and produced by Jaime Marie Davis and Frankie Shea, the show includes previously unseen photography from the archives of Oscar-winning director Spike Jonze, and Glen E. Friedman – the man who has been coined by Russell Simmons as defining the imagery of hip hop. Also, internationally celebrated photographer Mike O’Meally's recent photography of London’s Palace Skate Team and images from the archive of Transworld Skateboard Magazine editor and former Adidas skate team manager Skin Phillips.

Launching this July in London, the exhibition will tour to North America during 2019, as well as Tokyo in 2020 for the Olympics, when skateboarding will be in the included for the first time. The tour will focus on the skate community and specific history where each exhibition is held, placing it in a broader context of an international scene. Find out more at atg-exhibition.com.

Sam Muller, Untitled (Chris Maalouf, Montreal), 2015

Sam Muller, Untitled (Chris Maalouf, Montreal), 2015

Spike Jonze, Video Days, Jason Lee and Mark Gonzales, 1989

Spike Jonze, Video Days, Jason Lee and Mark Gonzales, 1989

Skin Phillips, Grandma Thrasher, 1984. Swansea

Skin Phillips, Grandma Thrasher, 1984. Swansea

J. Grant Brittain, Bones Brigade, Chin Ramp, 1987

J. Grant Brittain, Bones Brigade, Chin Ramp, 1987

J. Grant Brittain, Todd Swank, Push, 1987

J. Grant Brittain, Todd Swank, Push, 1987

Glen E. Friedman, Hanging at Adolph’s in Holmby Hill After School, 1977

Glen E. Friedman, Hanging at Adolph’s in Holmby Hill After School, 1977

Mike O’Meally, Palace Skate Team (Lucien Clarke, Chewy Cannon, Blondey McCoy, Jack Brooks, Danny Brady), Tottenham Hale, 2016

Mike O’Meally, Palace Skate Team (Lucien Clarke, Chewy Cannon, Blondey McCoy, Jack Brooks, Danny Brady), Tottenham Hale, 2016

Dobie Campbell, Palace Originals, Lucian Hendricks, 1985. Crystal Palace

Dobie Campbell, Palace Originals, Lucian Hendricks, 1985. Crystal Palace

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