Artist Statement

Devin Mercado

In its essence, photography was designed for one main purpose, to put memories onto something tangible. And, for the most part, that continues to be what most people use it for. But then there are a few who like to go against the grain, a certain type of person who sees an object and is always curious to see what it might look like from the other side. Society may label these individuals as strange, and others say they're artists, I dislike both terms, because strange is something everyone is, and artist is truly impossible to define. These are the people who can take something and make it into something of their own, put a part of their soul into their work.  To make a statement about art cannot bring it justice, a statement is empty words, they mean nothing. Art is feeling, it is mental, it is physical, it is soul. If I really had to describe my own work with empty words I'd say it's sporadic, if anything. I've never planned out anything I was gonna photograph. If something peaked my interest enough, I put it behind a camera. That's probably why I took so many skate pictures. Skating is one of the few things I live for, it's a part of me, and that's what transfers into my photographs, my passion for skateboarding is preserved in a still image. The faces of my friends living in that moment of excitement, where nothing else matters, Carpe Diem, live life to the fullest. That's why we all skate, we could have nothing else in common, but because we skate we're friends. I think photography only enhances the idea that when you're on your deathbed, all you're going to have is your memories, so you better keep them safe. Skating is something I'd really like to remember.