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Born and raised at the mouth of Topanga Canyon, Matt
Wessen always had a keen eye for documenting LA
lifestyle and surfing scenes. He lives and breaths the ocean
and reflects this in his artwork. Skip Engblom, Venice don
and a surf/skate icon (known by most as character Heath
Ledger played in Lords of Dogtown), calls Wessen a friend
and frequent collaborator. “Matt’s ability to look at stuff is
really unique,” he says. “It’s almost like he’s painting with
his camera. To classify him as only a photographer would
not be valid.” Together they co-curated over seven
massively ambitious showcases that comprise of 55+ local
artists, their practice includes re-purposing historic
buildings into art galleries all the way from Venice Beach to
Tokyo. Someone who Barry McGee— a fellow multimedia
virtuoso and celebrated contrarian—labels as the
“foremost artist working today in capturing the LA
underground. Matt’s LA County series is brutally honest.”
When Matt’s not documenting the coast, he’s working with
some of the biggest brands, be it shooting with them or
overseeing their creative direction for marketing
campaigns and beyond.
