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Jerry Hsu’s new book, How About Never, brings together photographs made over 15 years in Los Angeles, drawing on themes of isolation, heartbreak, hope and transformation. In a Hypebeast interview, Hsu describes how his former marriage shaped the book’s private narrative and how he left professional skateboarding in 2017 to build his label, Sci-Fi Fantasy.
Professional skateboarder and photographer Jerry Hsu has published How About Never, a book with MACK built from photographs made over 15 years in Los Angeles. In an interview published by Hypebeast in October 2026, Hsu said the work reflects personal change, isolation and the end of his marriage, giving readers a more intimate view of an artist better known for his skateboarding career.
Hsu told Hypebeast that the images began as a photography practice rather than as a planned book. He started editing the project about five years ago, but said its emotional meaning became clear only recently. The pictures, made on film, include scenes of flowers woven into a chain-link fence, smoke rising in daylight and wrecked cars. Hsu described them as indirect expressions of his feelings, rather than literal documentation of one storyline.
The book’s geographic limit is Los Angeles, where Hsu has lived since 2011. He told the magazine that the city is not the book’s subject so much as the setting for his experience there. Hsu said he chose a handful of foundational images, then arranged other photographs around them until narratives emerged. His former marriage, which began around the time he moved to the city and ended during the period covered by the work, is one of those narratives.
Hsu also spoke about his professional shift. He became a professional skateboarder at 16 and left that career in 2017, dropping his sponsors as he pursued other creative work. He later developed Sci-Fi Fantasy, a skateboarding label. Hsu said running the company takes up much of his time, while photography remains a separate practice he wants to protect from becoming all-consuming.
A Personal Record Beyond Skateboarding
How About Never adds a long-form photographic project to Hsu’s public career and traces a period of substantial personal and professional change. The book’s significance lies not in presenting a definitive account of Los Angeles, but in showing how Hsu used a specific place and years of images to make sense of his own experiences. That distinction matters: the photographs’ meanings, as Hsu describes them, emerge through reflection rather than through a fixed documentary claim.
The project also makes visible how Hsu’s creative identities overlap without being identical. Skateboarding introduced him to photography through artists’ skate magazines that sent photographers to document him and his friends. Yet he now runs a label and makes photographs on his own schedule. His comments suggest that stepping away from professional skating did not end his creative work; it changed its form and pace.
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From Pro Skater to Photographer
Hsu was born in San Jose and became a professional skateboarder as a teenager. According to the Hypebeast profile, skateboarding gave him a way to move through and observe his surroundings, while magazine assignments helped bring photography into his life. His earlier photo blogs and projects, including Table for One and The Beautiful Flower Is the World, also examined what he called humanity’s chaotic and often comic side.
Hsu’s Los Angeles years form the frame for How About Never. He moved there in 2011, and his relationship with his then-wife began and ended within the period reflected in the book. The title, he said, had been with him for more than 15 years. He did not initially know what it meant, but later felt its mix of humor and rejection suited the work.
““There’s a level of isolation I felt living there. I think that’s relatable to a lot of people.””
— Jerry Hsu, speaking to Hypebeast
What the Book Leaves Open
The interview does not provide a full account of the book’s publication details, including its release date, price, print run or availability by location. Hypebeast identifies MACK as the publisher, but readers should consult the publisher or booksellers for current purchasing information. The article also does not give a complete inventory of the images or explain how each photograph was made.
Hsu framed the photographs as personal and sometimes indirect, not as a comprehensive record of Los Angeles or a complete account of his marriage. The precise meaning of individual images is not spelled out, and the interview does not establish that every scene was photographed with the book in mind. Hsu said he often encountered scenes while driving and walking, with some days of shooting producing no image he wanted to keep.
The Next Chapter in Hsu’s Work
The interview does not announce a new photography project or a firm next milestone for Hsu. For now, How About Never presents the outcome of a process that took years to edit and longer to accumulate. Readers looking for the book’s current availability can check MACK’s listings and Hsu’s official channels.
Hsu said he would like more time for photography, but much of his attention goes to Sci-Fi Fantasy. He also described the book’s ending as a gesture toward moving forward rather than a definitive resolution. Whether that points to another photography project remains unknown; the interview offers no confirmed schedule or announcement.
Key Questions
What is Jerry Hsu’s How About Never?
How About Never is a photography book published with MACK, bringing together images Hsu made over 15 years. The project draws on his experiences in Los Angeles and themes including isolation, loss and hope.
What does the book’s title mean?
Hsu told Hypebeast he had used the phrase for more than 15 years but did not know where it came from. He said its humor and sense of rejection eventually felt suited to the book.
How is Hsu’s marriage connected to the photographs?
Hsu said his relationship with his former wife is a “secret narrative” in the book. He described many photographs as proxies for feelings from the years they lived in Los Angeles together; the images are not presented as a literal account of the relationship.
Is Jerry Hsu still a professional skateboarder?
Hsu left his professional skateboarding career in 2017 and dropped his sponsors, according to the Hypebeast profile. He later developed Sci-Fi Fantasy, a skateboarding label, and continues to make photographs.
When can readers buy How About Never?
The source identifies MACK as the publisher but does not specify the book’s release date, price or current stock. Readers can check MACK and booksellers for up-to-date availability.
Source: hypebeast.com
