Skateboarding Legend Ed Templeton Offers an Inside Look at the Subculture With a New Book and Show of His ‘Cantankerous’ Photography

By Min Chen

'Wires Crossed' pulls from the photographer's archive of skateboarding images from 1995 to 2012.

Skateboarding, as seen through Ed Templeton’s photographs, has a life beyond the ramps. Yes, his high-impact images convey the spirit and kineticism of the sport, but so too has the photographer trained his lens on skateboarders behind the scenes and during their off-hours to preserve often raw and intimate moments.

These photographs, offering what Templeton called “a nice little hidden look” at a singular subculture, now make up his new exhibition at Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht. Titled “Wires Crossed,” the show offers a view of and into the skateboarding life, as captured by Templeton from 1995 to 2012.