If you live in New York City, and you like seeing Gilbert Crockett shirtless (who doesn’t?) and also the entire gamut of NYC skaters in stark, beautiful black and white with their boards, go see Clarence K’s photo show at Court Tree gallery this weekend. He’s been hitting the city’s skateparks every weekend, seeking to document a scene “that is blind to race, gender and age.”
By our estimate, he’s succeeded mightily. Crockett, with his chestful of traditional tats, might be the most recognizable of the portraits, but the entire series is a very necessary reminder that everyone skates, not just guys who own Quasi. And the way that K has shot the photos has a certain something to it, a pride that is unique to skateboarding. That magical feeling you get from knowing that, whatever other identities you might own, you’re a fucking skater.
Looking at these photos, you can tell that still means something. A lot of the instagram comments on his photos have focused on how the subjects “don’t even know how to hold a board right” or aren’t “real” skaters. Ignore that shit. These are photographs that depict intimately and excellently the relationship between a skater and their board, as those are the only two things in the photos. If you’re someone who wonders what makes a skater a skater, as many of us do these days, this show has some insight for you.
The opening is at Court Tree Gallery, from 5-7pm, this Saturday the 22nd.
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Follow Clarence K on Instagram: @clarenceklingebeil.
