A photo exhibition from Alasdair McLellan and Palace
Photography and film capture the British skate scene in an exciting new exhibition
With shining celebrity endorsements and consistently impressive collaborations, Palace has asserted itself as a skating and streetwear staple. Founded by Lev Tanju six years ago in Waterloo, the brand is continuously driven by the aim to capture and illustrate the British skate scene, as a contrast to its American counterpart.
The brand first attracted attention back in 2009 when Tanju began producing skate videos of his friends, swapping HD for his now-signature grainy, DIY alternative. Utilizing the framework of satirical news reports, the aim was to produce raw, realist material of the underground skating scene in London. The alternative (and much more bleak) approach caught attention of fellow British artist and photographer, Alasdair McLellan, who has now teamed up with Palace to produce an exhibition of skating photography.
“When I think about skateboarding pictures I always used to think about America, and then I met Lev and PWBC and they all looked really good, and it was very British, and they all dressed more like they were going to a football match than skating in Waterloo,” McLellan tells Dazed in a recent interview. "The fact that they were aged 15 to 30, and it looked like they could be in Fagin’s gang; it was like something out of a Dickens novel. I liked that the names they all had sounded like they’re out Brighton Rock too; Nugget, Blondey, Edson, Snowy. Most brands don’t have a history like theirs, born out of hanging out on the Southbank."
Sticking to his talents, and the basis of the Palace brand, Tanju will create a bespoke video installation to be exhibited alongside McLellan’s photography. He added that the exhibition is intended to be “a nice little story documenting everything that was going on with Southbank, the skaters, Palace, PWBC.”
Alasdair McLellan & Lev Tanju: The Palace will be on display from July 4–8 as part of the ICA’s Young ICA – a programme that focuses on young creatives that will take place over July.
Originally published in V Magazine
