Rom av JC

From his studio in Cabillonum, the French artist Rom av.JC reinvents the representations of ancient leisure. Placing the skateboard at the heart of gladiatorial combat or the first events of the Olympic Games, the artist rewrites the history of this discipline. In the shape of jars with Greco-Roman motifs, the boards bear witness to the practice of skateboarding at a time when the city of Lyon was called Lugdunum.

Indeed, the latter takes old skateboards that he cuts, sands and assembles to form mural amphorae. Secondly, it is then armed with acrylic paint and sometimes also clay that he creates these works.

Just like the ceramics of the Greco-Roman era, the used skateboard is marked by its time. If the temporality is far from being the same, the bruises are similar. Broken, hammered, completely reduced to pieces, the skateboards at the end of their life are like these vases that resurface hundreds of years later: imperfect, but full of history.

Rom av.JC seeks to care for what’s left of the skateboard in the same way as the famous Japanese technique of wabi-sabi. In fact, it consists in recognizing the beauty in its imperfections. It is about restoring the board without masking the traces left by its use, but by rewriting its history. The abused skateboard is ennobled by taking on a new life… antique.

The skate artist has collaborated on series of skateboards with drink brands like Brewdog or Club Maté. As far as skateshops are concerned, the French stores Street Art in Thonon les Bains and ABS in Lyon have already trusted him.

Today, his art is not limited to only creating wall works in skateboards. Indeed, he cuts the boards to create real sculptures. Therefore, to see more about his art, check out his Instagram account or his website romavjc.com.