SKATE OF THE ART
Brussels, April 2023
Skateboarding and its cultural icons, imagery, streetwear, and non-conformist spirit has been inspiring and engaging generations since the 1970s, when it emerged as a global movement. The sense of freedom it offers remains priceless, it’s fun and it’s inclusive, connecting people regardless of background, age, and gender. Taking this ethos to places where it’s needed most, is THE SKATEROOM, the brainchild of former gallerist and art collector, CHARLES-ANTOINES BODSON. With a mission to help fund and support international skate- and education-related projects for empowering at-risk youth around the world, the certified B Corp partners with artists to offer custom skate art editions emblazoned with their work, to be hung on walls as covetable canvases.
Impressive collaborations to date include Basquiat, Warhol, Raymond Pettibon, Shepard Fairey, Jenny Holzer, Ai Weiwei, JeffKoons and Ed Templeton, with skate editions of solo skateboards and triptychs, where the artwork is printed over several decks.
At its core, THE SKATEROOM challenges brand and corporate responsibility, uniting artists, collectors, galleries, retailers, and other non-profits to engage in a new economic model, and these hopeful unions across the world all share the belief that a deck and four wheels, can truly change young lives.
Here, founder Charles-Antoine discusses why he values art, skate, and social change; his latest initiative which inspires and helps likeminded brands to collaborate, and his commitment to funding more projects as part of the LA 2028 Olympics.
Before starting THE SKATEROOM, did you have a passion for skateboarding yourself, were you a skater in your youth, customizing your own decks?
I was a skater, but a very bad one! I was much more influenced by art than skating in my youth, and I had so many decks which I started collecting as a kid, and then bought more when I was a gallerist, and I loved my collection. I would say 98% of it was traditional contemporary artists workings on decks, usually by Supreme, so not really a skate theme.
You were a former gallerist based in Belgium, so how did the idea for THE SKATEROOM come about then?
The real starting point of the story was an encounter with Oliver Percovich [founder of Skateistan, a non-profit that teaches skateboarding and education to kids in Afghanistan, Cambodia, and South Africa]. He was 100% a skater, not an artist, and dedicated to supporting different communities of kids around the world through skateboarding. When he told me he was looking for funding to help his projects, it was clear in my head that I should just sell some of the decks in my collection to support him.
After I saw the result of the first sale of my collection, I was convinced I wanted to continue because I loved the program and seeing the images of the kids. I realized that other NGOs were needing financial support, because they are good on the ground, but not at looking for funding, which also takes time. So, I decided to sell the rest of my collection to donate the money to Skateistan. After 2 years I made the jump from being a collector to the producer of those decks. It was a different exercise entirely, as you have production, you need to meet the artists to see if they are willing to collaborate, and speak to the gallerists, but it’s been almost 10 years now, and we are working with three different cultures. The first being skateboarding, the second is art and the third is the spirit of social entrepreneurship. Within these years I have realized the impact the NGOs are having on different kids through skateboarding, and I am 100% behind it all, and I also feel that I am now more included in skate culture and the industry, despite not being a skater myself!
What’s been the hardest challenge in connecting to art collectors across the globe, to promote the beauty and power in skateboard graphics as something other than a disposable commodity?
With the art collector it’s quite easy, because if you’re presenting them with skate decks made by artists from the 1970s, they wouldn’t know who those people are. But when Supreme did their skate editions for example, like Jeff Koons and many other names, collectors would know those artists, so it’s another type of collectible art for them. The reality is also that it proposes art editions on skate decks with major artists at an aordable price, because when you see those editions of JeffKoons, they can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. We are proposing a limited Jeff Koons edition at $700 dollars.
Can you tell me more about the production and decision process for these collaborations then?
We work with the artists to decide on what type of collection we’ll make, in terms of which visuals we use to explain the story and we’ll discuss the quantity of product we’ll launch to set the price. We want to keep the price aordable so that’s why we make bigger edition sizes with major artists. With the machines we are working with today, we can deliver a super high-quality edition on the decks, so we can consider the shape of the deck and the shadow it makes on the wall, as it’s a special edition to be hung on a wall. Also, during the COVID pandemic, we took the time to work on some new production materials, such as a machine whereby we will be able to make some silkscreen original decks. We make huge productions so we can be impactful for the NGOs, but we were not previously able to produce limited edition sizes with younger artists. This new machine, however, will open up the possibility to work with many more artists.
Your projects really champion the allure of skateboarding and many contemporary artists have come of age in skate communities or maybe had a passion for skating. How did you go about attracting artists to collaborate with, and convince them it was an interesting and alternative medium to work with?
Each collaboration is a human story and is special as it’s linked to the artist in terms of the different social projects we are funding. In the early stages it was quite diffcult to explain to the artists what we were doing, because we were very limited, and it was the first time we were doing it. But we asked the artists about which social projects they would like to be part of, and after a release, we would then show them visuals and data so they could see the results of the partnership. Ai Weiwei, Jenny Holzer, Paul McCarthy, Raymond Pettibon and Jeff Koons, all called us after seeing these results and wanted to do it again. We’ve now done five collaborations with Ai Weiwei, and three with Jenny Holzer, and a second with Jeff Koons. So, at the beginning it was complicated, but today we have so many museums and galleries and artists looking to work with us.
Can you tell me about some of your latest collaborations, such as working with the skateboarding legend and artist Ed Templeton, and the Swiss design icon USM modular furniture, which is the first time you’ve worked with another brand, alongside Swiss artist Claudia Comte?
I’ve wanted to work with Ed Templeton for years, he has such a great legacy within the skate world, and he had a museum show in the Netherlands, and it was the perfect time for us to collaborate. It’s a great project and following the recent first drop, the second one will be next year with him in California. Our project with Claudia Comte is also a special one, as it’s the first time we’re working with an extra brand (USM), as so many get in touch with us to ask how we can collaborate. Claudia is an incredible artist and close friend who created some decks for us and USM designed their own furniture products using those same visuals by Claudia.
You’re also curating and championing the next wave of creatives, such as working with conceptual artist Mak2. You’ve released a unique collection inspired by the artist’s incredible Home Sweet Home series, with a limited-edition trip-tych of 100 pieces, as well as two original painted triptych artworks. How do you go about choosing new and exciting artistic talent that embody your creative and social impact sensibilities?
Well, Mak2 got in touch with us as she liked what we’ve been doing, and we thought we could deliver a relevant collection with her. She wanted to be active and support an NGO and both reach and fund another project and community she is linked with. It’s another great human story. Sometimes I’ve rejected proposals from artists that want to work with us, as I didn’t think they were really behind the idea. We don’t want an artist to just give visuals and not be involved with the choice and type of social project, they’re bad vibes we don’t work with.
Generations of young people look to both skateboarding culture and the visual arts for liberation, acceptance, and community. What has been the most rewarding feedback to date about the projects you’ve supported?
Based on the different NGOs, the feedback is that we are important for them in delivering support, visibility and enabling them to connect with other supporters. Based on collectors of the product, they love what we do, because it’s affordable, although I’m not sure many skaters are collecting our products, except maybe Ed Templeton’s collection and a few others. However, they truly understand what we’re doing and the dedication and the relationships we have with the NGOs, and that inspires them. The last community to mention, which is super important, is the feedback from the young people who are willing to do business with us. People just leaving University, hoping to start their own business, I love the interaction with them, as I think it’s a great way to make business a force for good, a force for change. All the brands today should be involved in a cause they believe in and share that with their teams. That’s why B Corps are so important, as they consider people and the planet before considering profit, and those are our key values. The impact of the people on the environment is key, and we love those discussions, and have so much to share. I love this new way of considering business, and I’m positive about these young people, they are going to change the world.
Speaking of considering the planet, it’s important to be mindful of the impact skateboards have on the environment. Are all the materials you use responsibly sourced, and are you continually seeking new and creative ways to incorporate more sustainable materials?
Super question! I am going to be crystal clear, of course we are not 100% sustainable, and it’s a key factor for us to keep improving. It’s a path, a journey, a way to become more respectful and engaged. So, every year we are doing better and we’re now integrating more production in Belgium rather than Canada, Mexico, or the US, to have less impact on the CO2 emissions. We are using sustainably sourced and eco-friendly materials and packaging as well as compensating our entire yearly carbon footprint since 2016, it’s a major factor for THE SKATEROOM to improve and become better year on year, for the environment and for the world.
You have united art collectors, artists, galleries, brands, and non-profits around the world with your inspiring business model. As the design pool is endless, and the inspiration vast, what’s next, can you tell me about future plans?
Well, we’ve launched an initiative where we invite brands that we feel inspired by, to use their own products for a collaboration with the same artists we work with on the decks, such as the USM and Claudia Comte collaboration. It was also launched to give extra financial support to the industry, as over these 10 years, we’ve supported around 100 social projects globally, and for the LA Olympics in 2028, we’ve committed to funding 500 projects; first for the skate parks and second for the programs to make an impact. So, we need to help brands like USM, who are following our economic model by distributing a large percentage of their sales to help fund those projects. With our collaboration, they are donating $250,000 to social projects, and with that money, we could build 10 skate parks around the world!
We are thrilled because more and more people are understanding what we do and ready to be part of this whole exercise. We’re also working on projects with other creatives now, like actors and musicians too.
Finally, we know that these artist decks are highly coveted and collectible. If you could choose one design that really resonates with you the most, which would it be?
The one that you really wouldn’t be able to use as a skateboard! It’s the marble skate deck that we did with the artist Jenny Holzer, with the word IMPEACH engraved on the deck. Another special edition is the triptych of Ai Weiwei giving the finger to the white house, which we did for Donald Trump’s 100th day in oce. We were in San Francisco at an art fair during that release, and CNN asked us about the collaboration and after that, the entire production of decks sold out within two hours!
But I don’t want to not mention all the others, like the ones with Paul McCarthy, because without him we wouldn’t be here. So many of the artists have done great editions for us, and we are excited to do more and more in the future!
Interview by Kate Lawson
Photography by Jorre Janssens