“The Rise of Sneaker Culture” at the Art Gallery of Western Australia boats over 150 pairs of rare and iconic sneakers, presenting a timeline of milestones in sneaker history: from a 1923 pair of rubber All Star’s by Converse, to a 2012 pair of Air Jordan VII in commemoration of the Olympics.
Walking into the gallery you are instantly inundated by cased shoes, as well as spiral of hanging, colour ordered sneakers in the centre of the staircase, leading up to the main exhibition.
Grouped behind glass cases spanning across the second story of the gallery are featured brands; Adidas, Converse, Nike and Puma.
Collaborations between brands and artists, celebrities, musicians, and high end fashion labels like Kanye West, Louis Vuitton and Cey Adams are also displayed with their sneaker counterpart.
Upstairs is a recurring short film that features some of the biggest “sneaker-heads” around the world, flaunting their very exclusive collections.
And for the younger ones, a ‘design your own shoe’ activity was also running.
Lining the walls is a set of colourful sketches and drawings by Nike showing the ‘shoe before shoe’ concept.
Whilst all are unique, with some designs clearly reserved for the likes of 7ft NBA players, it was clear that anyone could pick their favourite pair.
My personal favourites included:
- 25th Anniversary Superstars signed by Run-DMC; who were the first non-athletes to receive a sneaker deal, due to their performance of “My Adidas” in 1986.
- Onitsuka Tiger; the same model worn by Bruce Lee in Game of Death, and the revised version worn by Uma Thurman in Kill Bill.
- Obama Force One by Jimm Lasser; an incredibly artistic pair of sneakers encouraging us to “follow in Obama’s footsteps”.
It was no surprise to see the exhibition packed with sneaker-lovers of all ages; all appreciating the vast number and designs of kicks that certainly have soul.
This collection is an embodiment of the development of urban culture; music, art, design and lifestyle.
It clearly explores “the complex social history and cultural significance of the footwear now worn by billions of people throughout the world,” as explained by the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
“The Rise of Sneaker Culture” collection uses the context of the shoes, inclusive of their history, advertising campaigns and who is wearing them, to perfectly demonstrate the ability of urban culture to alter history and unite people within different cultures.
This is definitely a step in the right direction for the cultural development of the Perth community.
The exhibition will be in Perth until the 4th of September 2017; be sure not to miss out!
To find out more, check out the link below.
http://www.artgallery.wa.gov.au/exhibitions/the-rise-of-sneaker-culture.asp
URBAN EYE
