Jacob Rosenberg announced the exhibition ÉPICENTRE Paris, open from June 24 to 28, in partnership with adidas Skateboarding and produced by GCS Agency. On the occasion of Paris Men’s Fashion Week, the filmmaker and photographer’s exhibition EPICENTER (San Francisco, November 2025 – January 2026) travels to the city that first championed his work. With 70 photographs alongside video installations from a pivotal period at Embarcadero Plaza (also known as EMB), Rosenberg preserves the energy and innovation of the legendary skate spot that defined 1990s street skateboarding, now undergoing demolition by the city of San Francisco.
In 1991, when the Embarcadero scene remained largely unknown outside of San Francisco, Paris-based No Way Magazine became the first international publication to champion EMB skateboarding. With Rosenberg as the SF Correspondent in the States, the magazine published multiple spreads of his photography and writing work, including photos of street skating in San Francisco to interviews with skate heavy-hitters like Mike Carroll, as well as a cover featuring Aaron Curry (ORFN). Thirty-five years later, the photographer returns to honor the city that fostered global recognition of the skateboard plaza movement.
The show arrives at a critical moment. The Vaillancourt Fountain, EMB’s trademark, is currently being dismantled, and the plaza is undergoing a redesign that will fundamentally alter its character. The physical site that launched modern plaza street skateboarding will no longer exist. Rosenberg’s photographs serve as historical documents, preserving the significance of EMB.
“The Embarcadero wasn’t just a skate spot — it was the backdrop for a sea change of cultural shifts and skateboard progression. The reason I made these photographs was because a magazine in France hired me as a correspondent, and I was desperately trying to capture the most important skateboarding around me,” said Rosenberg. “I was 17 years old in 1991 when No Way Magazine published my first international cover and articles. American magazines were still trying to figure out what EMB meant, but I got a glimpse inside of it, and I didn’t want to be shooting anywhere else. With the plaza being torn down, these photographs feel more important than ever. Bringing this exhibition to Paris honors a city tied to my origin story, which has itself expanded the conversation and dynamics of plaza skateboarding and respect for the roots of what EMB first showed the world.”
ÉPICENTRE Paris is presented in partnership with adidas Skateboarding, whose deep roots in skateboarding culture align with the exhibition’s celebration of modern street skating’s formative years. The collaboration includes special programming throughout Fashion Week, connecting skateboarding’s heritage with contemporary sports and style culture.
“Skateboarding has always been about authentic self-expression and community,” said Adam Brown, Sr Director, adidas Skateboarding. “Jacob’s photographs capture that spirit in its purest form. Supporting EPICENTER allows us to honor the culture that shaped the community we’re part of today, while recognizing Paris’s unique role in championing skateboarding culture globally.”
The exhibition features photographs and footage of the skaters who defined the Embarcadero era, including Mike Carroll, Jovontae Turner, Henry Sanchez, James Kelch, Chico Brenes, Rick Ibaseta, and Karl Watson, many of whom will be present in Paris for opening events. The show also features two paintings by Lee Smith inspired by Rosenberg’s video footage and one painting by Eric Merrell, the print of which was included in the first edition of the EPICENTER monograph.
“Seeing Jacob’s photos and videos in this show reminds me how Embarcadero became a hub for progression and style,” said Mike Carroll. “EMB was our skatepark, our home. We were like family, constantly pushing each other without any idea of where it would all lead. It was a cultural shift in skateboarding and style that continues to influence the world today. We had no social media, yet what Jake documented still managed to reach and connect with people all over the world.”
ÉPICENTRE Paris, presented by adidas Skateboarding with support from MOSAIC, will run from June 24-28 at Galerie Arquebusiers in Paris and coincides with the launch of the second edition of Rosenberg’s monograph, EPICENTER.
Jacob Rosenberg is a filmmaker and photographer who came of age as a skateboarder in early 1990s Northern California, making seminal videos for Plan B Skateboards under the mentorship of the late founder Mike Ternasky.
Rosenberg began his professional career directing music videos, short films, and commercials, working with LeBron James, Quincy Jones, Snoop Dogg, and Latto, among others. Rosenberg served for a decade as a partner at the independent studio Bandito Brothers, spearheading forward-thinking digital workflows as their CTO and in-house director. He contributed expertise to productions such as Avatar and Act of Valor, as well as numerous documentaries, including Shine A Light and S.O.P. His award-winning broadcast work has included campaigns for Ford, INFINITI, HUMMER, NBA, MLB, Royal Caribbean, Burger King, Beats, Advil, Intel, and countless others.
EXHIBITION DETAILS
ÉPICENTRE Paris
June 24–28, 2026
Location:
13bis rue Arquebusiers
75003 Paris, France
Opening Reception
Wednesday, June 24, 6–10 pm
Grand opening featuring legendary EMB skaters Mike Carroll, James Kelch, Chico Brenes, Rick Ibaseta, Lee Smith and Sam Smyth, alongside members of the Paris skateboarding community
Book Signing & Skater Panels
Saturday, June 27, 11 am–5 pm
Jacob Rosenberg, joined by Mike Carroll, Chico Brenes, Rick Ibaseta, and James Kelch sign copies of the EPICENTER book, and engage in a panel discussion exploring EMB’s international influence and Paris’s role in championing the movement. No Way Magazine editor, Jeff Lubrano, will also be in attendance, discussing his collaborations with Rosenberg and what the San Francisco street skating movement meant to France in the early 1990s.
Métro: Arts et Métiers (Lines 3, 11)
Hours:
Tuesday, June 23 – Wednesday, June 24: VIP/Press Preview (by invitation) Wednesday, June 24: Grand Opening, 6–10 pm
Thursday, June 25 – Sunday, June 28: 11 am–6 pm daily
Admission: Free
