Exhibition Info
For two weeks in April, Elms Lesters will be hosting DRINKING THE KOOL-AID by Ed Templeton, a non-selling exhibition presented by Emerica and Slam City Skates.
Ed Templeton (1972, Orange County, USA) is hard to define.
At once professional skateboarder, owner of skateboard company ToyMachine, photographer, illustrator and painter, Ed’s work merges these activities on a level and democratic field of subculture art. With origins in the skateboard and punk scenes, his work reflects the DIY aesthetic and endeavor of these cultures, which is furthered by having no formal training as an artist.
Templeton’s use and mingling of multiple mediums (painting and/or writing on photographs, etc.) demonstrates his non-hierarchical approach, whilst his subject matter in turn reflects an non-judgmental perspective of his surroundings.
With subject matter not only delving into his personal relationships, but also seeking the outside streets and the activities surrounding the skate culture, Templeton’s images contextualise a broader vision of contemporary youth culture.
Templeton has exhibited internationally at the Palais de Tokyo (Paris), Museum Het Domein (Netherlands), and Kiasma Museum (Helsinki), as well as participated in the influential Beautiful Losers exhibition and feature film.
There is currently a major exhibition at the S.M.A.K. Museum in Gent, Belgium.
In this show “Drinking the Kool-Aid” Templeton offers a poignant selection of his photographs from the last 15 years.
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