What kind of media coverage did women skaters receive globally until the early 2000s, and how did social media change this? How do different global brands respond to the under-representation of women in the skateboard industry? How can an object, logo or advertising campaign contribute to community visibility? These are some of the questions explored in TELEP Gallery’s exhibition WE CAN SKATE IT!, opening on 16 June.
In the summer of 2021, a skateboarding event exclusively for women was announced for the first time in Hungary – and the organizers were surprised by the number of girls and young women who attended. From a one-time meeting, a series of events was created, and Girlsk8sessions Hungary was founded with the aim of promoting women’s skateboarding, which until then had barely existed as a concept in the Hungarian community.
TELEP Gallery’s upcoming exhibition WE CAN SKATE IT! was created with the participation of girls who regularly attend Girlsk8sessions, and aims to give visibility to the Hungarian female skateboarding community, while at the same time highlighting the cultural aspects of social inequalities within the skateboarding subculture. Through a system of photography, video and objects, the exhibition brings visitors closer to the personal stories of Hungarian skateboarding women and girls and to an understanding of the global phenomena affecting the relationship between skateboarding and women.
As part of the exhibition, a 12-minute documentary film made by Ádám Hajnal with the support of Vans and initiated by TELEP Gallery will debut for the first time, in which members of Girlsk8sessions Hungary talk about their skateboarding experiences and their relationship with the community. Also, at the exhibition, a series of portraits of some of the members of Girlsk8sessions Hungary will be shown for the first time, taken by photographer Balázs Mohai. The exhibition will also feature typical objects and personal stories of the skateboarding community, as well as products that have recently been launched on the market, partly with the aim of promoting female skateboarding.
WE CAN SKATE IT!
women.skating.community.
7 June 2022—7 July 2022
Opening: 16 June, 7 p.m.
TELEP Gallery—8 Madách Imre út, 1075 Budapest
Curators: Kitti Mayer, Noémi Viski
Contributed by: Dóra Grabecz-Horváth, Marianna Herczeg and participators of the Girlsk8sessions events (Bogár Csanády, Blanka Gerlóczy, Kinga Gerlóczy, Csengele Horn-Barta, Betti Ignácz, Fanni Konda, Jonka Márki, Laura Netlava)
The exhibition was supported by Vans and Cirus Skateboard.
Photos: Balázs Mohai
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