Rom av.JC - Skating the Quarter Amphora (2022)

Original work entitled “Skating the Quarter Amphora,” created by French artist Rom av.JC (Romain Hurdequint) from recycled skateboard decks, cut, assembled and painted. Between contemporary sculpture, skateboard culture, and fictitious archaeology, this creation deflects fragments of decks to give them the appearance of an antique vase discovered during archaeological excavations. Description of the work “Skating the Quarter Amphora” presents a vertical silhouette inspired by a fragmented antique amphora. The piece is composed of several elements of skateboard wood, assembled to form an elongated object whose upper part is flared and the lower part tapered. Its palette rests on the contrast between deep black, silvery gray, and the natural tones of the exposed wood. The upper part houses several ornamental friezes: stylized vegetal motifs, geometric bands, dots, vertical lines, and sequences of semi-circles. These decorations recall the graphic vocabulary of ancient ceramics. Beneath these friezes appears a circular gray motif, evoking a wheel or a geometric symbol. At the center of the work, a figurative scene depicts a skater performing on a quarter-pipe, a curved ramp characteristic of skateparks. The figure wears a attire inspired by Antiquity, with draperies and sandals, while practicing skateboarding. The black-line drawing stands out on a gray-tinted wooden surface, whose grain remains visible. In the lower part, friezes of triangles, dots and fine vertical lines extend the antique decor. The deliberately irregular edges, the absence of material, and the breaks between fragments give the whole the appearance of an incomplete archaeological object. A meeting between ancient Rome and skateboarding Rom av.JC develops an artistic universe in which skateboard practices and objects are transposed into an imaginary Greco-Roman Antiquity. In this fictitious civilization, skaters would have become celebrated athletes on vases, amphoras, and other ceremonial objects. “Skating the Quarter Amphora” participates in this approach by representing a skater figure as ancient artists once depicted athletes and their feats. The quarter-pipe, an emblematic element of contemporary skateparks, thus becomes an ancestral sporting equipment. The scene blends humor, historical references, and urban culture, while adopting the visual codes of antique ceramics. The skateboard as raw material The work is made from reclaimed skateboard wood. The boards are cut, worked and assembled to form a new silhouette, distant from their original function. The support retains traces of its history: preexisting mounting holes, layers of plywood visible on the edges, exposed fibers, and areas where wood has been torn away. Fragmentation occupies a central place in the composition. The gaps and irregular contours evoke ancient ruins of which some parts may have disappeared over time. This material-focused approach allows Rom av.JC to transform a contemporary object into a sculpture with an archaeological appearance. Characteristics Artist: Rom av.JC (Romain Hurdequint) Title: Skating the Quarter Amphora Category: Contemporary sculpture, Skate Art Support: Recycled skateboard wood Technique: Cutting, assembling, drawing and painting on wood Inspiration: Amphoras and ancient ceramics Subject: Skater on a quarter-pipe Colors: Black, gray and natural wood Universe: Greco-Roman antiquity, skateboard, fictitious archaeology Destination: Work of art for exhibition, not intended for skateboarding use Condition and peculiarities Work offered in the condition presented in the photographs. The sculpture displays irregular edges, torn areas of wood, and several fragments separated by fine interruptions. These features are particularly visible on the right side, in the central part and at the lower end. Close-up photographs also allow appreciation of the wood grain, the old skateboard drilled holes, and the different plywood layers. These particularities contribute to the fragmentary and archaeological aesthetics of the work. Shipping Carefully packaged shipment, with protections suitable for painted surfaces, irregular contours and the ends of the sculpture. “Skating the Quarter Amphora” transforms fragments of skateboards into a relic of an imaginary civilization where skater feats would have been immortalized on antique objects. An original creation for collectors of contemporary art, skateboard enthusiasts, Skate Art, and archaeology.

Estimate:£250.92

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