The Cemetery of Reason is the first large monographic museum exhibition devoted to the work of Ed Templeton. The S.M.A.K. will be assembling into dazzling clusters of images the photos, paintings and sculptures Ed Templeton has done over the last fifteen years.
What does it mean to live your youth in a small suburban American province? Ed Templeton, a big skateboard legend of the 80’s and 90’s, answers this question in his photobook “Deformer”.
As the title says, it is not prettified or transfigured. As he says: “The sharping or misharping effects of growing up in a specimen suburban domestic incubator as seen through Edward A. Templeton.”
“Beautiful Losers” was first a moniker, then an art tour, after that a book and now it is also the title of a movie. The group of artist, who are presented in the film, are from urban culture around the scenes of skateboarding and punk. They come together to share experiences and get connected. But it’s about more: About the importance of going your own way, about passion, creativity, communication and – the element who brings all these elements together: art!
The directors of the film, Aaron Rose and Joshua Leonard (who played a main role in “The Blair Witch Project” in 1999) wanted to inspire other people with their documentary. Harmony Korin, an artist of the group, directed the honest and alarming films „Kids“ and “Ken Park”. For “Kids” he wrote the screenplay when he was just 19, now he is still working as a film director. Another artist in the documentation is Ed Templeton, a professional skateboarder since his youth, now a well known photographer.
The name “Beautiful Losers” also refers to a group of Andy Warhol-type artists from the 1990’s, and also follows the cultural DIY, the “Do it yourself”- attitude , meaning it is not important to attend an art-school or to care about what art should be. They see art as a part of their lifestyle: skateboarders, punk rockers, as well as hip hop, underground and graffiti artists come together to doodle or make snapshots of their naked friends. They see themselves as outsiders and they like that position.
Go and have a look at their book “Beautiful Losers” and the exhibition ”Grafika”, a collection of prints, objects and limited editions!
