Artist/skateboarder Lucas Beaufort on the intersection of both before his stop at Escapist this Saturday

Lucas Beaufort. // photo courtesy the artist

Renowned French artist and skater Lucas Beaufort is in the midst of a U.S. tour, in which he’s visiting ten skate shops across the country to celebrate his book, Heart, which celebrates “the beating hearts and histories of the skate scenes worldwide.”

The book, which quickly sold out of its initial print run of 5000 copies, “dives into 45 years of skate shop history worldwide, showcasing the legacies of 90 skate tours venues as critical cultural and community hubs, telling the stories of the shops and people behind them.” It follows a successful similar tour in Europe.

Beaufort will be at Escapist on Saturday, May 4, and we spoke with the skater and artist by phone from his home in France about Heart, art, skateboarding, and how they all combine.

The Pitch: How did you choose the skate shops you did for Heart, both for the book and for the tour in the US?

Lucas Beaufort: Everything started from the book I released in 2022, but I worked on it in 2021 during Covid. Super-gnarly time and so yeah, I was like, “Dang, I’m stuck at home. What can I do for skate shops and the skate industry that I love?” and so I was like, “Let’s make a book celebrating them,” because I’m a skateboarder.

Entering a skate shop, even at my age–I’m 42 now–it’s still a very “I like this!” moment.

When I started the book, I was like, “Hey, but who should I talk with?” I know pretty well the core skate shops around the world, but there’s too many. Let’s say maybe 500 strong core skate shops. I had to pick ones. I worked with media from Australia, from Germany, from Spain to help me to pick. For the U.S., it was more because, obviously, it’s a bigger place, but I had help from people around the world to advise me, and at the end of the day, I think I made a good selection with the people.

In the book, there is 90 skate shops and in the tour in the U.S., there’s 10 and it’s still very subjective, you know, so t the end of the book, there’s, like, three pages where I list all them all. I listed a thousand names just to make sure no one will be like, “Oh, you, you forgot this one. And what about this one?”

For the U.S., the shops that I’m going to meet are in the book. There’s just one that is new, the one in Brooklyn, TENANT. It’s just I talked to them, and I was like, “Damn, why not?” and so yeah, I’m going to meet them for the first time in Brooklyn.

When did you start combining both art and skating?

Everything started from my love for skateboarding. When I started, I was young. I was 12, 13 and I didn’t give a shit about art. It’s not that I didn’t give a shit. It’s just like I didn’t think about it. To me, it was skateboarding–that’s it but I was very into the board graphic. I was very passionate about this design, this brand. It was just skateboarding and, and yeah, I started to draw, but let’s say it was random at the age of 27.

It was just like, “Oh, let’s just express myself. Let’s just express something on a piece of paper,” but when I did this, it wasn’t like I had an idea that I thought I had something that I could be an artist. It was just random, and then, like a year later, I had people reaching out to me like, “I love what you do? Do you wanna collaborate? Do you wanna do this and that?” and became more and more important for me.

At the age of 33, I quit my job, the only job I had, but the job I had was related to skateboarding. So I think, everything was surrounded by it. I’ve never done any normal job. Everything that I did was mainly because I loved it. My first job was a skate magazine from France and we were a group of friends making it and we didn’t know what we were doing. It was just like, “Let’s try something,” and actually I worked eight years for the magazine.

The magazine is not there anymore but I learned a lot from this. I traveled a lot and it’s funny when I think about it, because the way I do my art is really related to the passion I put into the magazine back then, so I think I owe all the opportunities and stuff that is happening to me today because of I’m so motivated and passionate.

It’s not like, “Oh, I am the most gifted and incredible artist in the world,” because this is not me. I know artists who are insanely good, but they’re just painting their garage every day. To me, it’s just because I was so into it. Nobody can stop the passion. What I want to make with my art is connecting with people, inspiring people, meeting people, trying new things every day, and exploring the world.

What’s the appeal of doing this tour that you’re coming to Kansas City for?

It’s literally because when I did the book, it was Covid time. I couldn’t travel and I did everything by email and on the phone. It’s insane. How can you make a 428 pages book without moving from your house? Normally, you’re supposed to meet people, and I couldn’t, so I was like, “Okay, let’s do it this way,” but in my head–I didn’t know how long COVID will be, but I knew when it’s gonna come to an end, I go visit them.

First I did Japan. Last year so I visited all the shops from in the book in Japan, and then I did Europe last summer, and now it’s the U.S., and I might do Australia, then it will come to an end, of course, because my goal is not to be like, “Oh, I visited all the skate shops around the world,” because that’s not what I want to do, but I want to keep up with the momentum.

The book sold out and then I’m like, “What can I do next? Okay. Let’s visit them and let’s invite the people, the community, the artists, the musicians, everyone for each stop.”

And what’s next?

You know, I’m already thinking about the next step. It’s more than just a tour. It’s a movement now. It’s like how can we make the goal bigger and the voice stronger and louder? That’s the goal.

Why’d you partner with PBR for this tour?

Because they’re my friends. Let’s be honest–I’ve been in touch with PBR a long time ago. The first time I worked with them, was in 2016. Another big trip in the US. I didn’t know about PBR, actually. I was just like, “Okay, what beer could sponsor my tour?” and then I saw PBR–“Okay, let’s go,” so we worked together on this and now I’m doing this tour and what I love.

All the partners that I have in this tour, I know them. I met them, I know them and they trust in my project. It’s not like I have to convince. No, they trust on my ideas and projects, and what I like with PBR is the people behind it. Yes, there are people who’re going to drink beer. But what I love is people. I love people, and when I presented them with the project, they didn’t think for five seconds. They were like, “Lucas, we’re with you because we think that’s amazing. Let’s go.”

And then after that, they didn’t say, like, “Can you show me what you want to do, what you want to say?” No, they trust. And they trust in everything I want to do. I tell people, “You want to partner with me, you have to believe me. If you start trying to see everything, every single step, it’s going to be hard, and it won’t be good.”

I think we need to trust people and they trusted me. So they’re good partners. It’s only about people, you know?

Will there be a second edition of the book at some point?

That’s a good question. I think about it. But it’s very, it’s, it might not happen for for two reasons. First of all, I don’t know if I want to do another book that will look the same, just with new skate shops. And I mainly interviewed–I don’t want to say the best, but let’s say they’ve been there forever. Some of them are there, they’ve been open for 35 years.

And then, how can I improve it? I have no idea. It’s too expensive. In the first edition of the book, I had the support from every single brand in the skate industry. Every single brand in the skate industry loved the project and they gave me some financial support to make it happen. When I approached them about the tour, I was like, “Guys, there’s the book, and now there’s the tour. Who’s in?” and it was crazy that 80% disappeared.

I’m like, “That’s good.” I will never mention any brand. I don’t have to, but it’s crazy how they love you. They love your project. Then they–even if it’s good–they’re like, “No, we can’t keep up.” I don’t get it. It’s talking about your clients because the skate shops are the clients of the brands I’m talking about.

Of course, I still have people who support me, but 80% have disappeared. It’s funny how they believe, but not for so long, you know? So for those reasons, I don’t know how to make it better. I think the book was a chapter, the tour is another chapter, and chapter three? It’s gonna be epic and I’m still thinking about it.

Lucas Beaufort will be at Escapist on Saturday, May 4. Details on that appearance here.