Satta + Stevie Gee: Be Love Now
Hand-painted skate decks inspired by surfing’s transition to the streets for London’s Pick Me Up graphic arts festival
London’s Brixton neighborhood is fast becoming a bastion of creativity and artisan craftwork south of the river. Leading the charge is Joe Lauder of Satta, a woodworker and artist specializing in handmade skate decks that call to mind the early days of sidewalk surfing. In anticipation of Pick Me Up—the UK’s contemporary graphic arts festival—Lauder collaborated with fellow Londoner Stevie Gee (an illustrator who’s worked with the likes of Vans, Deus Ex Machina and Beams Japan) for the “Be Love Now” project. The duo teamed up with London gallery Beach to bring their artwork from the streets to the gallery. In both shape and art direction, the boards hark back to the sport’s roots: having fun and exploring new ways of self-expression. The series of four one-off decks was produced in Lauder’s Brixton studio and hand-painted by Gee. While they’re functional for skateboarding, these decks might just be most at home on gallery walls.
“Be Love Now” is on display at Pick Me Up beginning today, 23 April 2014 through 5 May at Somerset House.
Images courtesy of Satta
