Raymond Pettibon and The Skateroom are joining forces for a second time to explore the legendary artist’s surfer-themed works. Today, Pettibon — who cut his teeth designing album covers for his brother’s band Black Flag as well as Sonic Youth, the Minutemen, and the Foo Fighters — is channeling the magnitude of nature to raise funds for skate schools in Afghanistan.
Last year, The Skateroom tapped Pettibon for two limited editions of 250: No Title (You have a clear…), 1990, and No Title (The bright flatness), 2003. In their second collaboration, The Skateroom continues to explore the surf theme. This time, the set of six decks, takes on a bigger scale with No Title (I see the…), 2019. Drawing inspiration from Katsushika Hokusai's iconic wave, Pettibon demonstrates the power of nature over man.
Surfer imagery is one of several reoccurring subjects in Pettibon’s work. He didn't participate himself, though. Instead, he would observe surfers on Venice Beach, transfiguring their movements and the vastness of the sea onto the canvas to represent the violent highs and lows of life. While much of his work referenced cultural figures such as Charles Manson to critique society and its ills, his images of surfing express themes such as serenity, awe, and ultimately, our insignificance within nature.
This tension is true of No Title (I see the…), 2019, where a minuscule surfer features as a footnote at the bottom of the fourth deck. The scale and power of the wave render the surfer completely insignificant in relation to the sea's greatness. Meanwhile, there is potential for utter destruction or the total euphoria of catching the "perfect wave."
This limited skateboard edition of 50 is hand-signed on deck by the cult artist himself. The set will be available on The Skateroom’s website today, March 5 from 9 AM EST / 3PM CET, where they'll retail for $3,000. This edition will help raise $50,000 to finish the construction of Skateistan’s skate school in Bamyan as well as the programs for their students.
Bamyan is the third city in Afghanistan where Skateistan runs programs. With just one educator and a few skateboards, they started running Outreach and Skate and Create sessions in 2019 and by March 2020, they had over 250 students attending programs regularly. Construction on Skateistan Bamyan began in Spring 2020 and with the help of the Raymond Pettibon x The Skateroom collaboration, they're hoping to complete construction soon.
