Jose Ibarra Rizo

Sk8er, Somewhere in Between, Gainesville, Georgia 2021.

Sk8er 1, Somewhere in Between, Gainesville, Georgia 2021 © Jose Ibarra Rizo

Jose Ibarra Rizo became the first Latinx photographer I came to know from Georgia. We both attended a virtual Aperture event during the programming around their Latinx winter issue. His series, “Somewhere In Between” documents the migrant experience in the American South. While I was struck by the scale of his work, bright and teeming with environment, the images he made of skaters particularly stood out to me.

In the first image, Sk8er 1, the person’s skateboard reads “Anti Hero.” I thought about what it must mean for a young person to identify that way. As possibly an outcast from society, as someone who might magnify the fragilities of humanity. Though the image feels quiet, the feelings it evokes are quite loud.

Sk8er 2, Somewhere in Between, Gainesville, Georgia 2021 © Jose Ibarra Rizo

In the second image, “Fuck Donald Trump” is scrawled away on this skater’s board. On top of it, it seems as though his sneakers have made a print with the dampness of the ground. I quite like the idea of doubling down on one’s message. First in thought and then in action.

Skaters, like many counter-culture scenes, have always expressed a rawness of opinion that is admirable. And that opinion is a reflection of experience or attitude or both. Recently, in an essay I read entitled “I Wasn’t Brought Here, I Was Born: Surviving Punk Rock Long Enough to Find Afropunk,” poet and writer Hanif Abdurraqib writes: “nothing is more punk rock than surviving in a sea of white noise.” I believe the sentiment can be extended to include all counter-culture scenes.

Skaters, Elmhurst Park, Queens, 2021 © Sandra Riaño

In an image I made myself, sometime last year, I wrote in a notebook about the scene in front of me. I wrote that watching these two young boys attempt to do tricks on top of one of the hilly peaks at the park, with the sky bright and open behind them was like watching us get closer to that thing that is freeing, weightless, and good.

There are times when the title of Frankie Perez’s photobook flashes across my mind, “See Me Up? It’s ‘Cause I’ve Been Down.” Skaters, like b-boys, move into the unknown. And as I watched these boys attempt to do tricks, fall down and get back up, I was filled with an immense sense of optimism. In order to fly you’ve got to start on the ground.

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ARTIST BIO

José Ibarra Rizo is a multidisciplinary artist working and living in Atlanta, Georgia. Originally from Guanajuato, Mexico, José and his mother immigrated to the states as undocumented immigrants when he was seven. This life-changing experience shaped and informed his creative process and approach to art making. José received permanent residency status at the age of twelve and holds a B.A. in Studio Art from Georgia College & State University with a concentration in Drawing and Painting. His work primarily focuses on identity and is currently exploring the migrant experience in the American South. José is the recipient of the inaugural MINT + ACP Emerging Artist Fellowship and is one of five selected artists for MINT's 2022-23 Leap Year artist program.