JOHNNY ROMEO X GILSON BOARDS COLLABORATION
Internationally acclaimed Australian Pop painter Johnny Romeo is proud to announce his exciting collaboration with leading US-based snowboard company Gilson Boards. The GILSON X ROMEO boards promise to shake-up the snowboarding world, fusing Romeo’s electrifying Neo-Expressionist Pop imagery with Gilson’s cutting edge approach to innovative snowboard design. With thrilling Abraham Lincoln and skull-board designs set for the US and New Zealand markets, the GILSON X ROMEO collaboration is a forward-thinking endeavour that seeks to bring the world of fine art into snowboarding culture.
Gilson Boards is a snowboarding company with a simple mission – to build boards that are ‘more fun to ride.’ The pursuit of the perfect ride lies at the heart of what Gilson does, driving the company to use the latest advancements in modern technology to create boards that are truly state of the art. Based in the Appalachian foothills of rural Pennsylvania, Gilson works closely with the local community, using locally-grown and sustainably harvested materials to honour the woodworking heritage of their region. The combination of artistry and innovation, groundbreaking design and communal craftsmanship is what sets Gilson apart as a force to be reckoned with in contemporary snowboarding.
The GILSON X ROMEO limited edition skull boards represent a perfect alchemy between Johnny Romeo’s bombastic Neo-Expressionist Pop visions and Gilson’s inspired approach to smart snowboarding design. With its sleek engineering and intoxicating blend of Grindhouse imagery, Technicolour explosions and tongue-in-cheek black humour, the skull boards capture the exhilarating thrill of hurtling down a snow-capped mountain at breakneck speeds. Laughing in the face of fear and the unknown, Romeo’s acid-drenched neon skull designs reflect Gilson’s intrepid and pioneering commitment to ‘the ride.’
Drawing on the iconic imagery of America’s greatest president, Abraham Lincoln, the GILSON X ROMEO Freedom snowboard series embodies the very essence of its namesake. Bold bubblegum colours and rollicking Pop renditions of Old Abe meld seamlessly with pioneering board design to create a multi-sensory celebration of freedom in all its forms – the freedom to conquer terrain, the freedom to live life to its fullest, the freedom to innovate, the freedom to create. The Freedom boards will be exhibited as a series of artworks, capturing Romeo and Gilson’s bold vision of connecting the snow slopes to the gallery space.
Motivated by a mutual desire to push the envelope of their respective crafts, the GILSON X ROMEO collaboration ventures into exciting new terrain through bridging the worlds of fine art and snowboarding. Romeo and Gilson hope to change the way we perceive snowboarding culture by developing boards for the purpose of being both ridden and displayed in a gallery setting, thereby opening up our understanding of snowboarding as not just a sport, but also as art. This approach cleverly compliments Johnny Romeo’s own desire to transform art into the everyday and insert his works into the very world of Pop culture that he confronts in his paintings.
The GILSON X ROMEO collaboration is an exhilarating and refreshing take on snowboards that is a truly inspired meeting of kindred spirits. A unique blend of Romeo’s vibrant Neo-Expressionist punchiness and Gilson’s dynamic approach to design, the collaborative boards take snowboarding culture into fascinating new directions, while showcasing the work of Australia’s leading Pop artist in a gloriously new light.
To order this board:
Use the code JR2016 for the limited edition purchase.
Email: info@gilsonboards.com
US Phone: +1 (570) 798-9102
gilsonboards.com
September 28, 2016