The City as a Skate Park

Rubén Dario Kleimeer, Imag­i­nary Per­spec­tives V, Archivalprint/dibond/frame, 40×50 cm cm, Rot­ter­dam, 2015 © Cour­tesy of the artist and Con­tour Gallery in Rotterdam

Skate­board­ing is a per­for­ma­tive cri­tique of the con­struct­ed world, some say. This still rel­a­tive­ly young sport, whose main set­tings were and are urban non-places, devel­ops new under­stand­ings and oth­er inter­pre­ta­tions of space. This world—whether gigan­tic infra­struc­tures, side­walks, emp­ty swim­ming pools, enor­mous house-lined streets, tun­nels, or oth­er con­crete deserts of the mod­ern age—is revealed by pho­tog­ra­ph­er and skater Rubén Dario Kleimeer in his images. Kleimeer unlocks mul­ti-lay­ered mean­ings of space through the nav­i­ga­tion and appro­pri­a­tion of built struc­tures. In doing so, he is not look­ing for answers or solu­tions to urban plan­ning or social prob­lems. Instead, he invites us to search with him, ride with him, and then think together—from unfa­mil­iar perspectives—about what the city of the future could look like, what it could be, and how it could be navigated.


Project

Imag­i­nary Perspectives


Artist

Rubén Dario Kleimeer


Year

2018


Loca­tion

Rot­ter­dam, Netherlands

Pic­tures from the pho­to series Imag­i­nary Per­spec­tives by Dutch pho­tog­ra­ph­er Rubén Dario Kleimeer (2012–2019). Urban space from the skateboarder’s per­spec­tive. Rubén Dario Kleimeer, Imag­i­nary Per­spec­tives XI, Archivalprint/dibond/frame, 100×125 cm, Rot­ter­dam, 2018 © Cour­tesy of the artist and Con­tour Gallery in Rotterdam
Rubén Dario Kleimeer, Imag­i­nary Per­spec­tives III, Archivalprint/dibond/frame, 40×50 cm, Rot­ter­dam, 2012 © Cour­tesy of the artist and Con­tour Gallery in Rotterdam
Rubén Dario Kleimeer, Imag­i­nary Per­spec­tives I, Archivalprint/dibond/frame, 40×50 cm, Rot­ter­dam, 2012 © Cour­tesy of the artist and Con­tour Gallery in Rotterdam