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SHANGHAI SKATE HYPE

Art

On the third weekend of July at the Shanghai sculpture space, China held host to its most extravagant skateboarding event of this kind. With a particular focus on the visual arts, Original Heads invited eight of the world’s skate-industry style makers to join the Adidas skate team and showcase their work while taking in the skate scene, history and culture of China. Visiting artists Andrew Pommier (CAN), Matt Irving (Delphi, USA/CAN), Sandro Grison (Color, CAN), Allister Lee (Alist, CAN), Benjamin Deberdt (Kingpin Mag, FR), Kirk Dianda (411VM/On Video, USA), Yong-Ki Chang (Solitary Arts/Hessenmob, USA), and Fos (Heroin/Altamont, UK) exhibited past work and each applied their art to an obstacle on the course. The three-day event attracted all the best skaters in China. Residents and foreigners battled it out for a spot on the podium and there was a best trick contest to the spectators’ delight. It wasn’t medals awarded to these skaters, but custom hand-painted decks by the artists themselves that were presented to the winners by Tim O’Connor, Benny Fairfax, Nestor Judkins, and Lem Villemin of the Adidas team. Also rolling with those dudes was the likes of Gunes Ozdogan of Spain. We were all very pleased to see China pro/Toronto native Johnny Tang finish first place, and celebrated into the night at an open bar with all the smiling faces of the contest, plus one overly blissful naked loc, an angry Aussie who tried to ruin the fun and his brother the passed out dude. You can check out the after party photos here.

artist allister lee and original head tim sedo.

tees by sandro, alist and andrew pommier

andrew pommier

fos

matt irving

alist:

Chopper wallride.

benjamin debert

sandro grison

decks by sandro x ben tour, print by sandro x dustin koop

Color's Olympic debut

thrasher

yong-ki chang

the entire chinese skate industry was out and the media was there in full force.

fos x matt irving collab

matt convinced me to go to the antique market and have htis man make a Color stamp from a block of marbel. I gave him a sticker to work from and he told me to come back at noon the following day. There's no way that this stamp was hand carved. So i paid the equivilent of 80 dollars for a laser etched rock... sweet.

adidas 3 stripe skate hype ii winner, johnny tang

people always want to hear about how crazy the food was in China. Seeing that adidas was putting us up, and I was travelling with a prodominatly vegetarian clan of artists - i have to say the food in China was great!

there was these brains though...

(left to right) flo, benny fairfax, yasha, matt irving.

andrew pommier

For More photos by me, visit me on flickr.

Also… Kirk Dianda Flickr Photos Yong-Ki Chang Photos

TAGS: adidas / shanghai / skate hype ii

posted 22/09/2008 by sandro

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