Thomas Kemmer Photography

By Jessica Verdi
Contributing Writer

As the sun sets behind an industrial park, the fading daylight casts long shadows across the gravel. Giant metal cylinders coated in rust glow a fiery orange against a pale-blue sky. In one of these cylinders, a plaid shirted skateboarder hugs effortlessly to the upper arc of the metal tube. Across town, a concrete drainage path cuts down a steep hill between groves of trees.  Atop the hill, a boy in a red t-shirt and cut-off jeans is frozen in mid-air, his skateboard, floating below his feet. These moments in time were captured by photographer Thomas Rex Kemmer. In his exhibit Local Spots showing at the Plains Art Museum beginning June 2, Kemmer documents the world of skateboarding, its perfect moments in time, imaginative locations and obstacles and the skaters who fearlessly conquer the terrain on their boards.

Kemmer, a skateboarder himself, studied photography at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College. His knowledge of skateboarding and his training as a photographer combine for a collection of images that are elegantly composed and capture split moments that disappear in the blink of an eye. Kemmer’s experiences as a skateboarder come through in his photography. Knowing how a certain trick or move is executed enables him to capture the skater from just the right angle and at the ideal moment. Coupled with his skills as a photographer, these photographs become more than documentary images, they become art.

Landscape plays a central role in both photography and skateboarding. Searching for and discovering new locations spark adventure. Some places seem un-skateable, but this isn’t the way Kemmer and his fellow skateboarders think. The excitement stems from successfully overcoming that thought. Whether perfectly capturing that landscape in an image, or perfectly defeating it on a board, the sense of excitement is the same. For Kemmer, this is the driving force behind his photography.

Skating is as much an individual activity as it is a social, collaborative one. All the skaters in his images are people and friends Kemmer skates with around town. Consulting with his friends and brainstorming new tricks and locations to skate, the diversity seen in his photography keeps the show fresh and enticing.

Skateboarding is not the typical photography subject shown in museums. Nor is it a subject everyone has knowledge of. Kemmer has taken images that stretch beyond the world of skaters, and presents us with images that capture the best of skateboarding with the keen eye of an artist. Being able to merge photography and skateboarding adds a layer to his photography that comes through for the viewer. Every curb, step, or bench gains a new meaning when a skateboarder defines it. If anything, Kemmer’s photography shows us our world in a new way, which is perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of Local Spots.

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If You Go:

What: Thomas Rex Kemmer
When: Beginning June 2 - August 28; July 16 Ramp Jam (1-4 PM skate exhibition)
Where: Plains Art Museum
Info: http://www.kemmco.com

What: RampJam During Street Fair in front of Plains Art Museum
When: July 16th 1-4PM
Info: Street course open to bikers, skate boards and roller blades with Kipp G and Tony the Butcher product toss from THIS skate and snow and Hot Dogs. Free. Open to the public.