Revisiting the Hanging K.K.Klansman Skateboard Graphic | Originated bc of events similar to Charlottesville
Skateboarding and its graphics have always had a close relationship. There’s been a few questionable decisions made over the years, but one of the most powerful and iconic ones is Jim Thiebaud’s Real skateboards deck from decades back. We’ve been so deep into the insanity of real world news lately that we almost missed this graphic history lesson on Jenkem.
“The graphic originated in response to events similar to the Charlottesville rally. In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, around the time Tommy Guerrero and Jim Thiebaud were launching Real Skateboards, there was a resurgence of KKK marches across America. So for his first board graphic on Real, Thiebaud chose something powerful and timely that represented him more accurately than any basic typeface ever could.”
As Jim explained to Agents Provocateurs,
“It was an idea I wanted to do for a while. An incredibly strong statement with a simple image.”
The art was brought to life by Nautas Kaupas and Kevin Ancell and unfortunately its message seems to still be relevant today.
Click to JENKEM MAG for the full revisitation of Jim Thiebaud’s hanging Klansman graphic for Real
Follow BOARD RAP on Insta for more updates.
