FULFILL THE DREAM

In a subculture known for its masculinity, almost blasé and permissive, claiming space as a teenage woman is a pure act of audacity. In this photographic diary, the raw and visceral images captured by Wosinska and her self-portraits are juxtaposed with the budding moments of future skate icons: focusing primarily on the West Coast – with a few brief stops in New York – Wosinska has chronicled a time of skateboarding transformation, when the phenomenon evolved into a profitable profession. She immortalized names like Chad Muska, Ed Templeton, and Eric Ellington, while simultaneously documenting her own personal metamorphosis, which we could define as a navigating toward femininity, identity, but also fear of rejection. Magdalena Wosinska thus captures the dualities that have shaped her life: the joy and euphoria of skateboarding, meaningful human connections, drug dependency, prejudices, the deep need to find a sense of belonging, and struggles with mental health. Shortly after immigrating to the United States from communist Poland in 1991, Wosinska used her camera to confront the cultural shock. The camera became her passport to a world dominated mainly by boys and a language to integrate and form genuine friendships in the skateboarding communities. Through raw and visceral portraits and self-portraits, created in opposition to the male-dominated scene, she captured the now-famous adolescent spirit of the Go, reflecting the ever-shifting balance between the highs and lows of belonging and the essence of years of photographer dreams realization through perseverance and hard work. Alongside the existential anguish of the time, the project explores themes of resilience, female emancipation, and the relentless pursuit of one’s goals.