Sergej Vutuc: Something in Between

Hard-edged realism determines Sergej Vutuc’s black-and-white photographs, but at the same time, it is possible to see the influence of hazardous acrobatics. Vutuc’s involvement in the skater scene is visceral. He has followed it for years in his photographic work; thus, an imposing body of photographs has arisen, which, for the first time in this book, enables a particular dynamic to develop. The truly sensational aspect of this predominantly youth/underground phenomenon is given proper emphasis. At the same time, in a wonderful yet simple manner, the early positions in conceptual art represented by Ed Ruscha and Dan Graham are naturally assumed once more, whereby public space, its structuring, and its socially conditioned presence are granted particular attention. Since they are characteristic of the experience of everyday life of this subculture, perception and aesthetic appreciation are honed to such an extent that we feel we are dealing with a completely new form of artistic expression.

Sergej Vutuc takes photographs, runs a gallery, and is the editor of a variety of fan and art zines that veer at times towards the artistic or the skaterly. He directed and acted in the Skateboarding theatre performance "Skateboard series 1–3." Jocko Weyland was born in Helsinki, Finland. He is the author of The Answer is Never – A Skateboarder’s History of the World (Grove Press, 2002) and has written for Thrasher, The New York Times, Cabinet, Vice, Apartamento, and other publications. He is the creator of Elk magazine and an editor-at-large for Open City magazine.