Skate of Mind – 19.06.2026 – 07.03.2027
New exhibition!
Opening on June 19, 2026, 6 p.m.
With Skate of Mind, the Neuchâtel Museum of Ethnography explores contemporary imaginations through skateboard culture. Often regarded as a way of life, skateboarding occupies a unique space at the intersection of sport, art, ethics, and philosophy.
Images from specialized media, widely circulated, allow an entire community to learn the techniques while absorbing the codes, attitudes, style, and vocabulary associated with them. For its members, the discipline demands personal commitment: only those who master the board will grasp the complexity of the trick (acrobatic maneuver).
Placing a strong emphasis on visual culture, the exhibition explores the “skater’s eye”—that unique way of perceiving the environment in a tireless search for new spots. Fred Mortagne reveals in an unexpected way the potential of “Toblerones,” those anti-tank obstacles whose concrete silhouettes haunt the Swiss borders, while Alan Maag elevates details invisible to the novice but inspiring to the initiate.
Far from presenting a static anthology, Skate of Mind is a mobile, evolving exhibition-laboratory that takes shape through public gatherings and DIY workshops. For there is one golden rule in skate culture: “Never Been Done.” Copying a trick that’s already been done at a spot is out of the question; innovation reigns supreme! Serving as both a mirror and a playground for sensory experiences, the museum demonstrates that skateboarding’s heritage lies in the constant reactivation of spaces by its practitioners.
Like the push—that propulsive movement that creates momentum—the institution itself becomes a dynamic spot. This kinetic metaphor opens a window onto the spirit of creation and freedom in skateboarding, without overlooking some of its paradoxes.
