Brian Lotti
16" × 20" Archival Print
Printed on Fuji Crystal Archive Lustre Paper
Framed
As part of LANDLINE, a solo exhibition featuring images taken between 1990 - 1999 by J. Grant Brittain. On view from August 17 to November 16, 2025, at Coffee & Tea Collective art space.
Coming out of the vert-heavy ’80s, San Diego skateboarding, like many other places, took a hit. For San Diego, the general interest in skateboarding was in a lull, and when combined with rising insurance costs, skateparks across the city were forced to shut down operations one by one. As the 90s came around, street skating emerged, and skaters like Gonz, Natas, and Matt Hensley were transforming schoolyards, curb cuts, and downtown areas into new backdrops for the once again counterculture of skateboarding.
This shift in terrain changed how photographers shot. Brittain, who had captured some of the most iconic vert images, had to adjust his approach and built a new body of work along ledges, handrails, stair sets, and curb cuts. This rough style became the look of the era and still influences how we see skateboarding today.
2025. Printed in San Diego, California by Chrome Digital.