Modern-day skateboarding has evolved from a niche sport to a full-blown lifestyle and culture.
Ed Templeton, a professional skateboarder and businessman, captured what this ‘lifestyle and culture’ was like during part of its golden era.
The Long Beach Museum of Art is hosting his work as skateboarding’s chronicler. In his first solo museum exhibit in the United States, Ed Templeton presents: “Ed Templeton: Wires Crossed: The Culture of Skateboarding. 1995-2012.”
This exhibition of photos takes us through the lens of Templeton; as he photographs the adventures, accomplishments, debauchery, trials and tribulations and everything in between in the life of skateboarding.
As a professional skateboarder himself, Templeton had the best access anyone could have, to view and experience the world of the extreme sport he loved and dedicated himself to.
At the beginning of the photo exhibit, Templeton greets his viewers with a prologue. In his words, he talks about what skateboarding means to himself and millions of other skaters across the globe.
He talks about how he was exposed to photo books in his early career. He mentions how it inspired him to, “document his life and the life of others,” and that he “picked up a camera to remember his youth as a skateboarder.”
The photos on display were mainly taken on ‘skate tours’ that Templeton and the company he founded, “Toy Machine,” would go on. Other photos are of Templeton and the Toy Machine gang exploring Southern California looking for the next best skate spot.
Templeton would shoot anything that would catch his eye. That includes friends playing practical jokes, what the life of a skater looks like or the debauchery that comes included in the lifestyle of skateboarding.
Throughout the exhibit, Templeton featured excerpts of his own words. Each one of his excerpts talks about the different themes of skating in each room viewers walked through.
One thing to note when looking at Templeton’s photos is that it is a virtual who’s who of the world of skateboarding. Some notable faces in the photos are Mark Gonzales, Lance Mountain, Andrew Reynolds and Elissa Steamer amongst countless others. These intimate photos allow his viewers to see some of their favorite skaters they grew up with from a completely different perspective.
Templeton would also caption his work in the margins of his photos. He tells his stories as if they had just happened to him the week before and gives insight into what he captured. In one caption, he told the story of how a fellow pro-skater, Chad Muska, would sober himself up from a night of heavy drinking with copious amounts of marijuana.
Besides photos, Templeton also curated an array of trinkets and memorabilia that he had amassed throughout his professional skateboarding career and more. In one instance, having a destroyed pair of pants pinned on the wall next to photos of other skateboarders wearing their destroyed pants during a skate session.
“Ed Templeton: Wires Crossed: The Culture of Skateboarding. 1995-2012” will be on display at The Long Beach Museum of Art from Feb. 2 to May 5.