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The stunning photographs of We Skate Hardcore reveal the determination, the dreams, and the rough and tumble story of urban Latino youth coming of age in New York City. Vincent Cianni spent eight years photographing and documenting a group of Latino in-line skaters in the Southside of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Cianni weaves together images of the skaters with their own words, showing the skaters' struggles to find a place to skate and build skate parks, and just to survive in the city. In the evacuated industrial spaces of their neighborhood, the skaters carve out places for enjoying their sport and showing off their skills—often thwarting established rules and authority figures in the process. Their stories are both personal and resonant; they reflect the trials and tenacity of a young urban culture, as well as life in Southside's Latino community.
We Skate Hardcore, with its verve and youthful energy, will especially appeal to photographers, those interested in urban studies and adolescence, New Yorkers, and in-line skaters and extreme sports enthusiasts everywhere.
— Juan Sanchez,Hunter College
Chronicling young, mostly Latino people who used neighborhood parks and plazas to perfect their in-line skating moves. . . . More than just cool action shots. The images portray how these teens climbed toward adulthood in a changing neighborhood’s public spaces.
Cianni's collection of photographs is an arresting look at a group of boys who embraced a dangerous sport and in the process of building their skate parks and learning new stunts, formed a tight-knit community of friends who looked out for each other and helped one another survive.
Think 'West Side Story' with skates.
Vincent Cianni has published a gritty turbulent account of a group of Latino in-line skaters hanging out and rolling through the rugged Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, New York.
An evocative collection of black-and-white and full-color photographs captures the intriguing world of urban skaters, both in words and images.