It's amazing how so many designers and artists have recently joined the bandwagon of partnering with sneaker companies, particularly since such projects have been endlessly pursued for the last ten years or so. When I first met Nikos he had just produced several highly sought-after, limited edition collaborations between various artists and companies such as Nike. Crossing the line between art and commerce was a big deal to certain circles in the beginning of this trend and the more "serious" artists were often very skittish about getting involved in these types of endeavors.
It looks like the mainstream has finally caught up with this now ubiquitous (and very safe) fad. Yesterday I was reminded of the news from earlier this year that artist Jenny Holzer (along with other artists such as Laura Owens and Sarah Crowner) had teamed up with American shoe company Keds for their sponsorship of the Whitney Museum of American Art's summer season (which runs from July 1 through September 26).
Holzer's Pantheon, Le souvenir d'une superamntie, 2004.
More on the KedsWhitney Collection can be found here. It's an informative press release; I just wish that they had included descriptive sections on each of the artists since they do have extensive information on Keds, the Whitney and even Bloomingdale's. Considering the artists' names are what attracts much of the attention in the headlines for this project I thought I'd be reading a lot more than a line or phrase about each individual. I'm all for concise press releases but this aspect of the collaboration (yes, I know we're all sick of this term) just shows that maybe certain things never really change.
Those are hideous. What art?
Posted by: artfag | 06/28/2010 at 06:43 PM
Your blog is so wonderful. How lucky to see what you have written. Hope you continue to work hard.
Posted by: Supra Cuban | 07/22/2010 at 08:27 PM