Stig De Block spent 5 years (2018-2023) of his life traveling back and forth to Los Angeles documenting an intimate portrait of the lowrider community. Instead of reaffirming sensational stereotypes, he uncovered a unique cultural phenomenon called ‘Sunday Funday’: parking lot gatherings and boulevards filled with local Latin and Black communities, who celebrate unity in their shared reverence of tuned lowrider cars.
With the curious eye of an outsider, Stig captures the raw beauty of candy colored paint jobs, faded autobiographical tattoos and chrome finish that together form the facade of a cultural, social and religious identity that has fascinated him since childhood. The body of work is a form of authentic participation where Stig aspires to show you a glimpse of a too often misunderstood world that reaches far beyond U.S. territory.
In his large sized, saturated prints he zooms in on cultural artifacts which invite the viewer to an in-depth stare in an attempt to unravel the complex and layered nature of the plates. Stig’s diptychs and chrome framing reflect the, at times, rough duality of Los Angeles’ everyday and search for unity between communities. He executes this idea by creating a textured contrast of powder dry prints put against reflective frames. The chrome frame, in its turn, unites the viewer with the print.
Stig’s photography practice is heavily inspired by the lines and composition pellicular to Fauvism and the razor-sharp aesthetics of Photo-Realism paintings from the 20th century. He views his work as one large graphic arrangement that mainly looks for textural contrasts. Stig’s work starts from an emotional spontaneity to try to sense in-between moments, situations, people approaching and then decides whether or not to capture them. Since premiering his first installment BACK TO BACK “From Backyard to Boulevard” in October 2022. The body of work travelled from Brugge to Tokyo, from Amsterdam to Miami over Arles, Leipzig, Geneva, Paris & London. After 18 months of touring Stig arrives back in Belgium.