Mark Cunningham is possibly the most iconic bodysurfer on the planet. Aside from almost single-handedly raising the profile of bodysurfing, he also kept ocean goers safe on the beaches of Hawaii for two decades, with most of that time on the front lines at Pipeline. He’s quick with a pun, fast to make friends, and he’s also an “artist.” He uses the term loosely, but he’s amassed an impressive collection of treasures from the beaches of Oahu.
We dropped by a recent art show of his at The Board Club in Newport Beach to check it out.
“I found most of these things offshore of the island of Oahu,” says Cunningham, who calls the collection Remains of the Wipeout. “All of these things were on surfers or surfboards or people, and they all got hammered by a wave and sat at the bottom of the ocean. When they don’t have any crust on them, I call them freshly laid, and when they’re real crusty, they’re artifacts. These are remains of our surfing culture. I’ve had a lot of friends and family helping me get these on the walls, and I’m stoked to be sharing them.”
Editor’s Note:: Follow Mark’s adventures on Instagram here. If you’re lucky, his art might come to a town near you. And if it does, check it out. If nothing else, Mark will probably tell you a good joke. He’d probably like this video about tow-in bodysurfing, too.
