So I popped into the Nikki Toole exhibition today to look at what she has done with her Skater Portraits.
They are lovely images. Inkjet Printed 24"x18" (63cm x 48cm) prints mounted into white board and timber frames, the images are strikingly pretty. The shading and tonal range is sublime, withe very deep velvety blacks and crisp clean whites. 19 black and white images make up the exhibition.
The prints are of Skaters from Melbourne and around the world. As far as the Czech Republic and as close as Fitzroy, we see how the skating subculture is not much different from place to place. The faces and expressions all seem similar and familiar. We connect to her subjects understanding the discomfort and shyness we all seem to have within.
I would love to have seen some full portraits though. All of Nikki's work was shot with the riders lower legs and feet missing. Not having access to this information made me want to see how the riders were standing, and the position of their feet. I think this is why once I looked through the exhibition, I kinda felt left out of what she was trying to show.
If you read form the poster "Curated by Dr Christopher Chapman, Senior Curator at the National Portrait Gallery, this special exhibition features 19 black and white photographic portraits that examine identity within skater culture. Toole asks whether there is a ‘global look’ or if there is still a place for the individual or the loner to express him or herself. She is driven by the desire to understand and commune with her subjects while exploring the forces of identity that define the lone skateboarder." I didn't really get any of this, well not from all the 19 images at least.
Yes I would recommend you go see these images as they are lovely. You will need to make your own decision on the meaning and if they look into "Skater Culture" and show a "Global Look".
For me.. I know what I would have, and will do, differently. There is a lack of connection to the subjects, and they all have a slightly tilted bored look. I would like to have seen a little more interaction, and more of what the skaters "space" looked like.
Anyway... Go see Skater Portraits by Nikki Toole on until September 9th.
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