In recent years, I’ve brushed shoulders with enough skaters and surfers who have been obsessed with the newest and best riders and footage since a tender age, who dedicate years of their lives to sweating over concrete or getting bested by waves, that I have learned a few names to admire. Two such names are Mark “Gonz” Gonzalez, a reckless, upbeat character and one of the pioneers of modern street skating, and Neil Blender, who was one of the first skaters to put his graphics onto a skate deck and blend (pun unintended) even further the line between sport and art.
This Saturday, creations by both Gonzalez and Blender will be on display at “Automatic,” a group show at surf boutique Clips Hawaii curated by the Maui boys behind Plate Lunch and sponsored by Contrast Magazine. Alongside their creations will be works by Andy Davis, one of the first surf artists, whose paintings bring a sort of zen to the subject with lanky line-drawn figures and colorful patterns. Also presented at the show will be art by Yusuke Hanai, Russ Pope, and Gregg Kaplan (Kaplan, an artist with a style all his own, is also one of the creators of Plate Lunch).
Such an excellent roundup of surf and skate art does not often arise on the islands. It’s worth checking out. To do so, swing by Clips, an intimate, excellently curated surf shop off Kaheka Street across from Don Quijote between 6 and 9 p.m. on Saturday.
“Automatic” will be on display at Clips Hawaii from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, December 13.