Larry Clark
Ruttkowski;68
Exhibition poster
A2 (60 x 42cm)

Larry Clark (b. 1943, Tulsa, Oklahoma) is an American photographer and filmmaker whose work has, since the 1960s, explored youth culture and lived realities at the margins of mainstream society. He gained international recognition with his seminal photographic project Tulsa (1971), which established his raw, autobiographical visual language.

A central focus of Clark’s photographic practice is the documentation of skate subculture. Over several decades, he closely followed young skateboarders and their social environments, producing intimate and unfiltered portraits of a generation defined by rebellion, belonging, and risk. In Clark’s work, skateboarding is not presented as a sport, but as a way of life—intertwined with questions of identity, freedom, sexuality, and violence.

Clark’s approach is marked by directness and proximity. Rather than observing from a distance, he positions himself within the community he documents, resulting in images of striking authenticity and emotional intensity that exist between documentary record and personal testimony.

Larry Clark’s photographs have been exhibited internationally in major museums and institutions and continue to influence contemporary photography, film, and visual culture.