Where Culture Never Fades

Born in 1964, Niles Buckner grew up coast to coast — his father's business meant a childhood spent chasing horizons from New York to California. He left home in 1981 with a Volkswagen Bus, a vagabond streak, and a mission to surf, skate, and snowboard his way through life. By 1983, he'd landed in Venice Beach and traded the road for a camera. Thousands of film photographs followed: raw, salt-stained moments of surf, skate, and snow culture. An ill-timed flood and fire took most of that archive, but not the eye behind it. The digital era gave him a second shutter. Niles kept shooting — not just the action, but the quiet in-between: behind-the-scenes frames from TV and movie sets, the culture that lives off the ramp and out of the lineup. His work has shaped artists, collectors, and three generations of board riders. The Chameleon Museum and Gallery is his answer to one question: How do you pass the stoke on? By showing his work alongside his colleagues, Niles built a space where proceeds fund kids — from Venice to worldwide — to discover what's possible on a board. Surf. Skate. Snow. Three sports, one vision, and his mission to turn dreams into reality is finally coming alive.

For more than thirty years, Mark Narens has cultivated a dynamic and expansive artistic practice that moves fluidly across mediums, scale, and environment. Working in acrylic and spray paint on canvas, charcoal, mixed-media glass, functional art, and large-scale indoor and outdoor murals and wall sculptures, Narens approaches each work as both an exploration of form and a catalyst for connection. His work has been exhibited in galleries, festivals, and public spaces across the country, engaging diverse audiences and transforming environments. Beyond the studio, Narens' art carries a strong philanthropic mission. Over the past nine years, his work has raised thousands of dollars for charitable organizations through live auctions and fundraising events, underscoring his belief in art as a force for impact, community, and meaningful change.

Kris Rose is a sports and lifestyle photographer born and raised in Santa Monica, California. He has been in the creative space for the past fifteen years. From stand-up comedy, to producing viral online content, to brand marketing, Kris has always had a knack for being able to express his unique point of view through his work. But it wasn't until he got behind the lens where he found his true voice and was finally able to bridge his love for sports with his passion for storytelling. Growing up with posters of NBA icons and legendary skaters on his walls, Kris learned early the power of an image and how a single frame can make a lasting impression. It's the 'poster' shot that Kris chases and that keeps him up at night. To Kris, photography is not just about capturing motion, it's about the magic of freezing time, and turning a split second into a forever moment. It's about honoring the incredible humans he photographs — who lay it all on the line, defy gravity, and push beyond their limits. It's about preserving the raw, unspoken story of passion, determination and resilience. And it's that story that Kris hopes will inspire the viewer in the same way his childhood posters once inspired him.

I'm a Documentary style Photographer from Venice. I grew up in Venice and I was a little kid in the 1970's, a teen in the mid to late 1980's, and a young adult in the early 1990's. I grew up surfing the Venice Break Water and skating at the Venice Pavilion (RIP). I went to Venice High (Class of '88) where I studied under the incredible Photography Teacher Larry Shapiro in the multiple photo classes that I had throughout the day. My photos are an insiders perspective, they come from a personal point of view. Being from the school of Gonzo Journalism, I'm a participant documenting my world around me. I've also worked in the live music production industry since 1996, the majority of the time as a Stage Manager, and have photos and stories from that side of my life as well, and being from Venice is what lead me to being in my line of work, it all connects. I still live in Venice today and I still document all I see around me. But I also always took and still take photos everywhere and anywhere, of whatever catches my eye. I like grainy and gritty, I never go for clean, I go for real. My photos are far from perfect, but the imperfections make them unique, imperfections are the perfections in my eyes. I shot with, and still shoot with, my original Nikon FM2 camera with a 28mm lens, both were used second hand pieces of gear that my mom bought for me at the old Venice Camera Exchange (RIP) that use to be on the SW corner of Venice and Lincoln. I also had a used second hand 500mm lens and a cheap water camera. From time to time I would borrow a fisheye lens from our good friend Luke "Doc" Hudson (RIP). I shot and still shoot on Kodak Tri-X 400 black & white film the majority of the time, every once in a while I would shoot color slide film and or regular color film. All of my photos are a one shot take, meaning I do not have a motor drive, no shot is a part of a sequence, each shot is do or die, each shot is its own entity of that single image.

Kimberly Aikman is from a corn field in Illinois called Champaign, though she spent most of her life in Chicago. She started out as a photography major at Southern Illinois University, graduating with a degree in Photojournalism before discovering a passion for film making during a controversial directors class. She moved to producing in the film/tv industry which led to a move to Los Angeles. Moving to California re-awoke a passion for shooting with the vibrant colors and drastically different street life than she knew growing up, including classic cars, nature, and a style unique to Cali life. Living in Venice in particular was like falling down the rabbit hole... and she tries to capture the fall for others to experience it in the same way. ♥

J.D. McIntyre is a Los Angeles based abstract artist, writer, and poet. In his work, he favors the use of gravity over paintbrushes and expressionism over form. His work examines and makes use of the blueprints of reality to create art that is often reminiscent of natural structure. He adamantly believes in art as therapy, that it has the power to change and save lives. In his own life, art served as a catalyst into his own journey into recovery and sobriety. He can be found regularly painting on the Venice Beach Boardwalk, where he finds inspiration in the resilient faces of the passing crowds.

Flo Mena is a Los Angeles–based multidisciplinary artist from Chile. Working across cyanotype, painting, stitching, and mixed media, she explores self-growth, identity, mental health, and emotional reconstruction. Rooted in personal narrative, her work combines photographic imagery with layered tactile interventions to examine how identity is constructed, fragmented, and reassembled.

Daniel Shapiro is a New York City–born photographer whose work spans portraiture, breaking news, and celebrity imagery. He began photographing at an early age and went on to build a career across major commercial and editorial photography agencies, contributing to fast-paced, high-visibility coverage in the media industry. His experience includes work as a photo editor and breaking news/celebrity photographer for a leading New York publisher. Shapiro's portraits reflect a keen instinct for timing, access, and human presence, shaped by years of working at the intersection of art and real-world events.

Hello, my name is Gavin "Dutch" Croxall. I am 20 years old. I was born in Los Angeles and spend a lot of time in Santa Monica and Venice. Photography became a passion of mine about four years ago after I signed up for a photography class in high school and started shooting with a friend who introduced me to the craft. What began as a simple hobby quickly turned into a way of seeing and documenting the world around me. Spending time in Venice has given me endless inspiration, from its vibrant culture and creativity to its eccentric characters and everyday moments. Through my photography, I strive to capture and preserve the authentic spirit of Venice, documenting the people, stories, and unique atmosphere that make it such a special place while keeping that true Venice feeling alive.