The Hong Kong Design Centre is hosting an exhibition dedicated to skateboarding culture. Its title, Drop In — Drop Into the Vibe of Skateboarding Culture, is meant to be an invitation to visitors to immerse themselves into the subject, drawing an analogy with the way skateboarders begin their run by plunging into the bowl, making use of the gravitational pull in order to pick up speed.

Skateboarding has existed in Hong Kong since the ’70s. However, its popularity skyrocketed after it was listed as an official Olympic sport at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Coincidentally, around the same time, new skateboarding parks — the Tseung Kwan O Velodrome and Fanling Skatepark, for instance — began popping up as part of the rapid development of the townships in the New Territories, reflecting the local government’s supportive stance.

The compactly designed Drop In exhibition offers a layman’s guide to the rich and colorful world of skateboarding. Curator Henry Siu’s vision for the show goes beyond a display of skateboarding gear. Rather, the founder of Psyroot — a Hong Kong-based lifestyle brand rooted in street culture — chose to focus on the culture surrounding the sport. For instance, the artwork, particularly graffiti, on the skateboards featured in Drop In point to the existence of a unique vocabulary shared between skateboarders. While the artwork on a skateboard reflects the user’s individual style, often the design has elements that signify allegiance to a particular club or community of skateboarders.

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Drop In also highlights a fusion of regional cultural elements with skateboarding gear. A section of the exhibition features plaques carved out of old skateboards. The designs come in the form of recognizable Hong Kong cultural icons, such as maneki neko — or the beckoning cat — koi fish, gourd, tiger, lobster and rooster. The display also demonstrates how skateboards may be upcycled to make furniture pieces, hangers and other functional objects.

Highlights include 20 Skatetao Wheels, which the exhibition literature describes as “pottery pieces inspired by the shapes of skateboard wheels, conceived, colored, fired and glazed through collaboration between skaters and artists”. These small ceramic sculptures range from grotesque heads and green alien creatures to more regular designs with wavy patterns around the rim. Drawing parallels between the process of making ceramic pieces and skateboarding, the curator’s note points out that both “require constant trial and adjustment, while facing a series of uncertainties and challenges along the way”, and that like ceramics, skateboarding too is about “learning through failure”.

Also on show is a documentary of Psyroot’s recent Asia tour. It shows snippets of members in action and competing in an event. An adorable child who recently took up the sport is shown falling down and getting up to have another go at the skateboard. Siu believes that the video communicates the spirit of resilience, which is of the essence in skateboarding.

The exhibition also features an installation of a miniature skate park, complete with fingerboards. While fingerboarding might sound like child’s play, it’s a great way for skateboarders to get a grip on the various tricks they might attempt on life-size ramps. Fingerboarding allows skateboarders to watch closely how skateboards behave on different kinds of slopes. The exhibition allows visitors to take a stab at fingerboarding. The idea is to encourage more people, especially youngsters, to try out the real thing.

Drop In succeeds in its mission to demystify skateboarding, presenting it as a sport that does not necessarily have to be played in its extreme version and also as one that has spawned a rich, multifaceted culture. By presenting a thoughtfully curated selection of art, community stories, and interactive elements, the exhibition has narrowed the gap between those already initiated to skateboarding and those who are simply curious about it.

If you go

Drop In — Drop Into the Vibe of Skateboarding Culture

Dates: Through April 13

Venue: Hong Kong Design Centre, The Square, G/F, DX design hub, 280 Tung Chau Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon

www.hkdesigncentre.org/

The writer is a freelance contributor to China Daily.