SCULPTING

Ever since I saw Bill Barminski’s work at the Beyond The Streets show in Brooklyn, I’ve been making painted cardboard sculptures. At first I was creating replicas of shoes, but I have since moved to more conceptually driven work that is inspired by black culture and history

“A Visual Ode to the Icons I’m Owed”

As a kid, I lived vicariously through the golden age of hip-hop through my dad and was encouraged to pursue visual art by my mom and other relatives for as long as I can remember. These two passions of mine intersect frequently, and every time, I am grateful for the research that led up to the project because it gives me more and more of a picture of the period I wish I could have experienced. In this project especially, I spent hours reading, watching, and listening to resources that would help me arrive at the final concept.

The sculpture displayed here is a cardboard recreation of the iconic Adidas Superstar silhouette, inspired by a jacket designed by Dapper Dan. The piece also features gold chains from both Rakim and Run DMC. Dapper Dan, the self-made hustler turned high fashion designer, was instrumental in shaping Hip Hop fashion into what it is today. One of his many personalized leather jackets for high-profile Rappers was the one for Rakim. It was from this jacket that I drew inspiration for the color scheme of my cardboard shoe. The Adidas shoe itself is an easily recognizable fixture in 90s Hip Hop fashion, but when you add the designs of Dapper Dan, it becomes even more of an homage to the people who made Hip Hop fashion what it is today.

Important aspects of the jacket that I used included the Gucci print, gold trimmings, attention to detail, and the 5% Nation insignia. The last element is especially important because it speaks to Dan’s personalization in his custom jackets and how he made sure to include things he knew were important to Rakim. To make my process and the result truly inspired by Dapper Dan, I hustled my materials (took them from a recycling bin for free) and made the product as “luxury” as possible (including “gold” on the shoe as well as large chains and accompanying pendants). The choice to leave out laces, as well as the presence of the large rope chains, was inspired by Run DMC’s style and their contribution to hip-hop fashion.

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Cardboard policeman bust

This work was created from the recent publicity of police brutality in the US.

The symbol that the viewer would most likely see first, is the eyes of the sculpture and the reflection in the black sunglasses. In the reflection, you can see two brown kids with wide terrified eyes looking up at the cop. This represents the fear that is present in both parties, but specifically black people when it comes to encounters with law enforcement. The second symbol is the names of black victims of police brutality written on the ammunition for assault rifles. This represents the perception that a lot of people have that cops are “hunting” people of color. The pattern of violent encounters leads many to see the obvious problem that police officers disproportionately kill black people unjustly compared to those of caucasian background. This also brings awareness to the victims, especially because their names are at the front of the piece where the viewer has an unobstructed view. The third thing is the blood splatter subtly present throughout the piece. From far away you can’t see it, but when you look closely it’s apparent. This is the opposite of the pattern of black people being killed, which is apparent whether you’re paying attention or not. The blood represents that violence and the idea that many cops have “blood on their hands.”

Cardboard scooter

Created from life and took around 9 hours. About 4 feet high and has rolling wheels and a functional steering

Cardboard sneakers

Inspired by the great Bill Barminski; Tempera painted cardboard shoes. All of them are created from life and take anywhere between 5-7 hours to create.

This collection of work is meant to celebrate the influence that African Americans have over popular culture in the world, but specifically sneaker culture in the united states. Whether it was hip-hop or sneaker culture, black people have brought to pop culture many things that started as weird or frowned upon trends. What I wanted to celebrate most was how sneaker culture was essentially created by black athletes wearing basketball shoes, and what a coincidence it was that one of nike's first successful black sneaker designers worked on arguably the most famous sneakers in the world. The Jordans. In this same vein of making something out of nothing, I selected cardboard as my medium so that this same mentality to make something great out of something that nobody notices was present in my artwork. I'm drawn to sculpture because of the tactile nature of the techniques employed. There is something about standing up and ripping hug boxes apart and then transitioning to carefully cutting out pieces with an x-acto knife that I really appreciate. Building and constructing have always connected with me more than sitting in the same place for hours working on the same paper or canvas.

Comme des Garçons x Chuck Taylor

A recreation of the collaboration between Comme des Garçons, a luxury fashion brand, and a staple silhouette in sneaker culture, the Chuck Taylor All Star. This shoes represents how sneaker culture has blown up and elevated to the point of luxury fashion because of how far black athletes and basketball were able to take it

Adidas Samba

Crocs Classic Clogs

…with accompanying batman insignia, basketball, and letter “J” Jibbitz

Old Skool Vans

The first cardboard shoe I ever made, this was a physical depiction of my financial relationship with shoes. Growing up I tried to squeeze as many pairs of shoes out of the budget that my mom gave me before the start of school as I could, and because of the relatively low price point of most vans, they were always one of the first ones I got. The decision to use cardboard to build this shoe that I was so appreciative of was inspired, in part, by the artist Bill Barminski, but was also connected to my financial restrictions and the desire to use a material that was pretty much free. This shoe stands out to me because I love that little black kids who want to save money on sneakers are wearing a west coast skater shoe and adopting it as part of their identity, partly out of necessity.

Air Max Vapormax 1 "Wolf Grey"

An example of how the technology of sneakers has evolved over time due to the immense demand of new sneakers. A part of the iconic Air Max lineage, this Vapormax boasts one of the biggest air bubble soles on an Air Max yet, demonstrating the trend of sneaker brands constantly trying to improve sneakers to sell more so they can benefit from this massive sneakers industry.

Jordan 1 "Bred Toe"

The iconic Chicago Bulls inspired color way of arguably the most popular sneaker in the world, illustrates perfectly the impact that African Americans have had on fashion and streetwear through basketball and hip hop. The Jordan brand has been a dominant force in the sneaker market ever since it's inception, and will forever be remembered for its iconic shoes and cultural impact. As a young man who has spent most of his early years in wealthy primarily white institutions, I've always been around kids can afford, and do, wear retro Jordans every day of the year. This experience has elevated this shoe even higher for me because I hold it to such a high prestige. In addition to it's societal value, only until very recently have I been able to take part in the wearing of them.

Gucci Slide

Nike Blazer Mid '77 Vintage

This shoe is special because it was one of Nike's first ever basketball shoes. It is a lesser known part of the long history between nike and basketball, and is more know now as a popular lifestyle shoe. It's apparent to me that most people, at least at the schools that I go to think that this shoe just came out a couple years ago.