triCk Shot

The third issue of 43, featuring images only by Ying and set entirely in New York City, includes this shot of skater Yonnie Cruz soaring over Roosevelt Island.

Allen Ying, PhotogrAPhY ’03, CommuniCAtion Design ’04, CelebrAtes skAteboArD Culture in his mAgAzine BY ALEX JOSEPH

in April, Tribeca’s Temp gallery hosted a party to celebrate the third issue of 43, an independent skateboarding magazine founded by Allen Ying ’04. Noted skaters like Quim Cardona and Jahmal Williams are featured, executing tricks like the ollie, gap to noseslide, and wallie frontside, in images that are perfectly composed and set in elegant layouts. Printed on uncoated paper, the magazine feels and looks impressively arty, and each issue is launched with an exhibition of work from the magazine in a different New York or L.A. gallery. For Ying, however, making art is less important than documenting skate culture, which inspires him. He says 43 is the only skateboard magazine based in New York.

Ying has been skating since he was 11. After graduating from FIT, he freelanced for skateboard magazines both American (Slap, Thrasher, Transworld Skateboarding) and international (Grey, Kingpin, Monster). After the economic downturn, he was getting fewer assignments, so he decided to develop his own publication, funding it with credit cards and $20,000 raised through Kickstarter. The first issue appeared in fall 2011.

The name comes from an outdated term for a trick, now called frontside no-comply. “You put your foot down, pop the board, turn it around and turn your body with it, then hop back on,” he explains. “This magazine is a 43 on the skateboard world, putting one foot down, turning it around, while continually moving forward. We’re presenting the essence of skateboarding by not complying with conventional guidelines and formulas.” That means uncluttered spreads and a large format. It’s the size of a 10-inch record album, he points out, seeming to cherish the reference to old-school vinyl. He prints 2,500 copies per issue, using a green energy-certified printer, and distributes to skate shops and independent bookstores across the U.S. and internationally. New York, Interview, Vice, The New York Times, and others have paid tribute.

Ying’s magazine aims to capture the skaters’ daredevil stunts and anarchic spirit. If the resulting pictures have a raw beauty, that’s the point, he says. “I’m into more abstract or obscure photos. I’m not looking for something perfect. The imperfect shots can be great and have a feeling.”