Volcom welcomes photographer Arto Saari to Hong Kong

Our friends at Volcom are welcoming skateboarder turned photographer to Hong Kong for a photo exhibition in Sheung Wan on Thursday Oct 15th.  Saari, a former skateboarding pro original from Finland, is now a respected photographer (and not just action sports photography).  Check out the flier below as well as a bio of Arto.  Its guestlist-only , so you're interested in attending please email to RSVP@social-capital.com !

And here's some links with more info about Arto and Volcom HK:
http://www.artosaari.com/
https://www.facebook.com/VolcomAsia

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A striking combination of style and technique have made Arto Saari one of the most

sought-after photographers in skateboarding today. And in case you didn’t know, this

exact combination is what carried him from obscurity in the Finnish countryside to

become one of the best skateboarders in the world—an innovator who was setting

standards in the street throughout the late ’90s and early 2000s. “My whole life revolves

around skateboarding and it always has,” he says, “then I fell in love with photography

and I just saw it as another form of skating—another art form.”

With a pro career that has spanned nearly 20 years, highlighted by influential video parts

and Thrasher’s prestigious Skater Of The Year award in 2001, Arto has now made the

transition to professional photographer with same natural flow and seemingly effortless

approach that pushed him to the forefront of skateboarding. But skaters and

photographers alike know that making the exceptional look effortless takes a lot of hard

work and persistence.  “The focus and time it takes to learn how to skate was actually

good practice for learning photography—it’s lots of trial and error but still so fun no

matter what you’re doing.”

As a hungry 16-year old amateur who suffered through Finland’s 6-month winters, Arto

charged into the skateboarding spotlight in the summer of 1998, with strong showings on

the European contest circuit. “From pretty early on, I thought it would be rad to be a pro

someday, but growing up in Seinäjoki, in the middle of nowhere, it didn’t seem like a

possibility, so I just skated.” But after being recruited onto the heaviest team of the day,

Flip Skateboards, he realized, “Holy shit! Maybe I can turn this into something.” The next

step was a beeline for California, where he linked up with Geoff Rowley and Ed

Templeton. “To be skating with some of the best guys just really made me push myself.

At that time I was just totally focused on skating and trying to find the gnarliest spots.”

In California, Arto began filming for what would become two of modern skating’s most

progressive and celebrated videos, Menikmati and Flip’s Sorry. “Filming for two movies

simultaneously and actually finishing both parts off in just a few years was a big deal for

me and obviously, winning Skater Of The Year was a high point.” And then he got hurt, “I

fucked up my knee … I blew my ACL & PCL a couple of times and then it took me 7

years to film my Mind Field part. I think in those 7 years, I had 5 knee surgeries. It

sucked. I just kept getting hurt and there’s always months of rehab in between, trying to

get healthy again. It can get you pretty bummed. But that’s also when I started shooting

more. I couldn’t skate, so I picked up a camera. I would say those injuries are what got

me into photography and shooting video.”

These days, Arto is more than just a hired gun for Volcom, he’s also a team rider. “I do a

little bit of everything: shooting action, portraits, documentary stuff, some of the ad

campaigns, and video when they need me to. Having so much stuff to shoot for Volcom

takes some of the pressure off me having to perform on my skateboard. I like that, but

I’ve also been skating a lot lately, too. Obviously I’m not jumping down 20 stair rails but

…” He doesn’t have to. Those dues are long since paid.

Arto’s vision comes from a place of deep roots and a rare, first-hand perspective. It

aligns perfectly with Volcom’s True To This ethos. “When it comes to shooting the team,

I think the riders have a trust in me,” he says, “they know I understand. And Volcom’s

team is fucking amazing. We truly have some of the best skaters in the business and all

the trips that we go on, you know, the dudes turn it up. That makes it even easier for me

to do my thing behind the camera.”