Basketball Art + Culture Book - Courtside Candy by Gestalten
Where Streetball Becomes Sculpture
The basketball hoops I photographed in Courtside Candy weren’t made in factories or sponsored by brands. They were made by an artist (Nick Ansom), welded together in backyards, bolted to alleyway walls, and patched together with whatever materials were around; bike rims, plywood scraps, milk crates, rusted steel. In Venice Beach, this isn’t junk. It’s basketball art.
Each hoop reflects a specific personality. Sometimes playful, sometimes gritty, always creative. They’re part of a larger story about the culture of the game. These aren’t just functional backboards; they’re sculptures. And like all good art, they say something about the people who built them.
Venice Beach: A Legacy of Basketball and Creativity
Venice Beach has always been more than a postcard, it’s one of the most iconic basketball communities in the country. It’s where pickup games turn into performances, and where the court is as much a canvas as the chaos and mural-covered buildings around it.
Courtside Candy lives in that space between sport and expression. The hoops in this series represent the DIY spirit that runs through Venice’s streetball scene. They speak to resourcefulness, style, and the love of the game without any need for polish or perfection. In a place where surfing, skateboarding, painting, music, and basketball all collide, these hoops feel right at home.
About the Courtside Candy Book
The Courtside Candy book is a visual archive of this subculture, a historic collection representing the culture of basketball, celebrating the infinite ways the game has been translated into art by people all over the world.
Each piece unique on its own, but collectively, and along with the beautiful writing by Ben Osborne, the book tells a different and vitally important story about the games influence.
Click here to view and purchase available prints or contact me directly if you’d like a basketball print of any photograph not already listed.
Part basketball hoop, part sculpture. This Venice Beach alley setup is a reminder of how the game adapts to its surroundings
One of the many hoops that reimagine basketball as public art, photographed in the back alleys of Venice
Basketball hoop made from found materials, photographed as part of an international basketball art book
This photograph is part of a published series that explores the creative edge of basketball culture in America’s urban spaces
Equal parts sculpture and sport, this Venice Beach hoop transforms function into form, blurring the line between art installation and basketball court
From the streets of LA to the pages of Courtside Candy, these handmade hoops carry a different kind of history.
