{
  "id": 10084919,
  "title": "How a London Photographer Found a Second Home in Medellin Through Skateboarding",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/how-a-london-photographer-found-a-second-home-in-medellin-through",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-26T23:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Colombia One",
    "slug": "colombia-one",
    "url": "https://colombiaone.com/2026/09/26/how-a-london-photographer-found-a-second-home-in-medellin-through-skateboarding/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "London-based photographer Lauren Luxenberg’s journey to Medellin was unexpected, but it has become a significant part of her life. During a trip to South America in 2018, a friend convinced her to visit Medellin, and she was immediately captivated by the city’s creative community. Over time, Luxenberg developed a portrait series of the people she met and began documenting the city’s culture. Years later, she spends about half her time in Medellin and considers it her \"second home.\"\n\nThe project Touching Ground was born out of a conversation between Luxenberg and Medellin skateboarder Ronal Sanmartin. Sanmartin wanted to showcase Medellin’s skateboarding community in a unique light, drawing on his own experiences growing up in the city. Their collaboration expanded beyond a single photo shoot, evolving into a multi-dimensional project that included photography, film, and a planned book.\n\nFor Luxenberg and Sanmartin, Touching Ground is about more than just skateboarding. The project aims to tell a broader story of Medellin, showcasing the city’s residents, their relationships, and the various ways skateboarding has impacted their lives. Skateboarding provides a platform for connection, self-expression, and resistance, particularly in communities that have faced violence and other challenges.\n\nAs Luxenberg has spent more time in Medellin, she has witnessed significant changes. While the city has become more tourist-oriented and gentrified, Luxenberg has also noticed a greater sense of safety. She often sees residents engaging with skaters in unexpected ways, which highlights the city’s unique culture. For Sanmartin, the project offers opportunities to bring international recognition to Medellin’s skateboarding scene, secure sponsorships, and foster connections between sports and the arts.\n\nTouching Ground has already gained attention from international outlets, including Dazed magazine, which featured the project as an exploration of Medellin’s skateboarding culture. The project has also been exhibited in China. Luxenberg and Sanmartin continue to develop the book and documentary, seeking partners and publishers to expand the project’s reach. Both artists are already planning future projects, with Sanmartin focusing on his family’s history in Medellin and Luxenberg considering documentaries about other regional communities. For them, Touching Ground is not just an ending but an opportunity to continue connecting Medellin’s skateboarding community with a wider conversation about identity, art, culture, and belonging.",
  "summary": "For London-based Canadian-British photographer and director Lauren Luxenberg, Medellin was never part of the original plan. A chance decision during a 2018 trip to South America eventually led to a long-term relationship with the city — and to Touching Ground, a photography and film project created with Medellin skateboarder and creative director Ronal Sanmartin, also […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}