Subliminal projects presents today an exhibition of work focused on provocative skateboard graphics and the pioneers that hurled skateboard artwork into the counter culture limelight. Agents Provocateurs brings together a selection of decks and fine art by artists including: Alyasha Owerka-Moore, Andy Jenkins, Ben Horton, Cleon Peterson, Donny Miller, Ed Templeton, Marc McKee, Mark Foster, Michael Sieben, Nil Ultra, Sean Cliver, Todd Francis, and Winston Tseng.
Skateboard graphics took a magnetic leap in offensive expression after the sport was reborn aesthetically and otherwise in the 90s. Artists such as those featured in this show brought dark humor and politically incorrect topics to the forefront of their illustrations. Since the 90s and continuing to this day, these artists do not just decorate and sell skateboards. They raise serious issues, questioning values and challenging authority, deliberately evoking reactions from viewers.
The mentality of “skaters” 
didn’t begin and end with these artists’ designs. It was encapsulated in their practice and their attitude towards convention, what was deemed acceptable behavior, and who had the right to define those parameters. Skaters and skate culture have, for a long time, embodied a rebellious mentality that exists in all of humanity but that many of us are too cautious to exercise in an open setting. Skating in and of itself comes with a certain degree of danger, pain, selfless abandon, and mischief, while also adhering to a sense of camaraderie and a belief that we should be free to explore how and where we want. Often times, those who make the rules and enforce their regulation are also guilty of their own abuse of power and ethical misconduct, hypocrisy that fuels skaters’ anti-establishment behavior and suspicion of the establishment. Agents Provocateurs provides a thoughtful presentation of this boundary-pushing artistic genre, its place over the years, and its presence today.
In addition to the fine art and collectible decks, the exhibition will feature a limited edition skateboard deck, signed and numbered by artist Ben Horton, and the release of three special edition prints by Sean Cliver, Marc Mckee, and Todd Francis.
When: from January 24th to February, 21st
Where: Subliminal Projects – 1331 W. Sunset Blvd – Los Angeles, CA 90026
