Ed Templeton S.M.A.K. Ghent 12/05/10
There is an exhibition about the American artist Ed Templeton at the S.M.A.K. in Ghent. Although I was at the opening of the exhibition, I came back because I needed time to explore the artist.
I was sceptic when I read Ed Templeton’s biography because I’m not fond of the “skater world” he’s part of. But his works surprised me on different kind of levels. First of all, he created a beautiful vision on a subculture that is present in today’s (American) society. There are some amazing portraits in the exhibition, especially of his wife, Deanna. Because of the large amount of photo’s it wasn’t necessary to examine all of them in detail, the whole view was impressive enough. Although when you take your time it is pleasant to discover some interesting pictures. Another aspect that I want to draw attention to is the scenography. This was one of the rare exhibitions were everything just fell in place. It was perfectly balanced and appealing for the visitor. The walls were emphasized because he used different kind of frames for his pictures. They are not placed in a doll composition but disorganized. The open spaces were also used to place sculptures in.
The artist is in an exceptional position because he belongs to the professional skater world. This gives him the opportunity to record everything on the inside. But still, what I liked about the exhibition was not the pictures in particular, but the composition of them in combination with the sculptures in the white spaces of the S.M.A.K.
