SURF CULTURE: review from ‘Surfer’s Path’

SURF CULTURE: THE ART HISTORY OF SURFING
Laguna Art Museum with Gingko Press

 
Containing everything from doodles on scrap paper to ancient Peruvian surf imagery to magazine covers of yore and kitsch plastic sculptures, this book tells us something about our own art, how we perceive it and how the outside world sees it. For one thing, despite surfers’ self-percieved image of underground rebelliousness, outsiders consistently seem to see surfing as a symbol of sheer joy, freedom and good health, often useful for selling completely unrelated products.

Among the numerous key players behind this are known geniuses Craig Stecyk of Skateboarder magazine and recently Dogtown and Z Boys fame, and designer David Carson, formerly of Surfer magazine. Carson put the book together and it has to be said, despite every image being covered with its own caption text, it still makes a lively visual feast, a piece of art in itself. from Surfer’s Path