Skateboarding
Aram Sabbah: “The whole world is hypocritical”
To a Land Unknown — One of Palestine’s first ever, and most prominent skaters has made his acting debut, playing a refugee in Athens in Mahdi Fleifel’s new feature film. We caught up with him in our culture newsletter to hear about it.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Nottingham’s forbidden skaters are repaving the city’s landscape
Skate Nottingham — Having once been a UK skateboarding hub, a Y2K bylaw banned the sport in the city’s public areas. Now, a new generation is demonstrating the value that they bring to the local area, and recalibrating attitudes across the board.
Written by: Molly Baker
“Moment of escape”: Maen Hammad’s defiant West Bank skate photos
Landing — Choosing to return to Palestine after growing up in the USA, the photographer found himself drawn to Ramallah’s burgeoning skate scene. His debut monograph explores the city’s rebellious youth, who pull tricks in the face of occupation.
Written by: Miss Rosen
The Ukrainian skatepark sanctuary on the frontlines of war
Krytka — In Okhtyrka, just 50km from the border with Russia, a crew of young skaters, musicians and friends gutted out an abandoned factory, filling it with ramps and music equipment to create a shelter of community and resilience.
Written by: Isaac Muk
In Baghdad, skater girls are reshaping Iraqi womanhood
Baghdad is rad — As the city’s first skatepark opens, the new space is providing a blank canvas for its board culture. Dalia Dawood speaks to the people looking to make its ramps and rails a safe haven for women and girls.
Written by: Dalia Dawood
In England’s rural north, skateboarding is femme
Zine scene — A new project from visual artist Juliet Klottrup, ‘Skate Like a Lass’, spotlights the FLINTA+ collectives who are redefining what it means to be a skater.
Written by: Zahra Onsori
From his skating past to sculpting present, Arran Gregory revels in the organic
Sensing Earth Space — Having risen to prominence as an affiliate of Wayward Gallery and Slam City Skates, the shredder turned artist creates unique, temporal pieces out of earthly materials. Dorrell Merritt caught up with him to find out more about his creative process.
Written by: Dorrell Merritt
Baghdad’s first skatepark set to open next week
Make Life Skate Life — Opening to the public on February 1, it will be located at the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the city centre and free-of-charge to use.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Revisiting the birth of skate culture in 1970s Los Angeles
New photobook ‘Last Days of Summer: California Skateboarding Archive 1975–1978’ looks back at an iconic chapter of youth culture.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Is skateboarding really a subculture anymore?
With skate’s inclusion in the Olympics, Kyle Beachy asks what it means for the culture around the sport, and whether it’s possible to institutionalise an artform.
Written by: Kyle Beachy
