From left to right: ED TEMPLETON, Ashley, Burgundy, 2013 photograph, spray paint 130 x 108.5 cm Lucy, Lavender, 2013 photograph, spray paint 113 x 93 cm Tree, Silver, 2013 photograph, spray paint 130 x 109 cm Courtesy Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp
Professional skateboarder turned skateboard label-owner, turned documentary photographer, turned contemporary artist; it is safe to say that Ed Templeton is not your average artist. Seen as an icon in the skateboarding community, a pin-up for street culture, and a pioneer in the documentary photography scene (who stuck two fingers up in the face of censorship), Templeton’s work has matured over the past decade, moving away from the harsh and brutally real candid photography of the 80’s and 90’s subcultures, to a now more refined technique of fine art painting.
Using the exposure of his work as a vessel to address issues such as racism and homophobia, Templeton became the face of a style that merged street culture within the up-market art world, while all the while maintaining his street cred cool.
The exhibition “Symptoms” will show a selection of new works from Templeton, all of which are stacked in the artist’s signature style, attempting to trigger memories and create connections between the artist, the audience and the work. The title refers to a recurrent thought that appears in the artist’s work: “I feel like we live in a symptomatic society. All of our social ills are symptoms of behaviours and we always seem to worry about the symptoms but never try to change the direct cause. It also reminds me of drug commercials here in the US, and how silly they are. It is a word that brings these sorts of ideas to mind for me”.
“Symptoms” by Ed Templeton
Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp
Now until 4th May 2013