CLOCKWISE TOP LEFT: MACHE CUSTOM QUAILMAN NIKE AIR FORCE 1, 2015; DANIEL ARSHAM x ADIDAS ORIGINALS NEW YORK, PAST, 2017; CEY ADAMS x ADIDAS ADICOLOR HI BL2, 2006; KAWS x AIR JORDAN IV RETRO, 2017; KITH x NIKE LEBRON JAMES XV LONG LIVE THE KING PART II, 2018; AVA NIRUI AND ALEX LEE x NIKE AIRE MAX, 2017; TREVOR “TROUBLE” ANDREW x REEBOK WORKOUT PLUS “UNTITLED”, 2017; KENZO MINAMI x REEBOK INSTAPUMP FURY, 2005
Now on view at Phillips in New York is Tongue + Chic, an ultra-cool collection of one-of-a-kind sneakers — all designed in collaboration with many of the most prominent contemporary artists. The exhibit features the creations of Takashi Murakami, KAWS, Kehinde Wiley, Jenny Holzer, Damien Hirst, Daniel Arsham and Tom Sachs among others, who turned to such iconic sneakers as the Nike Air Force 1, Puma Clyde, and Reebok InstaPump for their canvases.
CLICK EACH SNEAKER FOR MORE INFO!
Curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, Senior Curator at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, in collaboration with Arnold Lehman, Phillips Senior Advisor who was also instrumental in the Brooklyn Museum’s “Killer Heels and Sneaker Culture exhibition”, Tongue + Chic celebrates these utilitarian objects which have become enmeshed in the trendsettering realms of fashion, art, and pop culture.
Only one of the sneakers from the exhibit is actually for sale, TBWA NY x Thomson Reuters Foundation x Shoe Surgeon, 2018, and is being auctioned online. Commissioned by TBWA\Chiat\Day NY and handcrafted by the Shoe Surgeon, these sneakers were featured in a high profile anti-slavery campaign on behalf of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. All proceeds benefit the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s anti-slavery initiatives.
The exhibit is on display through August 31 at Phillips at 450 Park Avenue. Although the dates and locations have not yet been released, there are plans for the show to travel should you miss it in NYC. Stay tuned!
CLOCKWISE TOP LEFT: KEHINDE WILEY X PUMA V1.10, 2010; SHANTELL MARTIN x PUMA CLYDE MID, 2017; TBWA NY x THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION x SHOE SURGEON, 2018; TOM SACHS WHITES (ORIGINAL), 2008–2012; DAVE WHITE x NIKE AIR MAX 95 FOX, 2016; THEHEYYMAN, FUCK MAGS, 2012; JIMM LASSER, OBAMA FORCE ONE, 2008; TOM SACHS x NIKE MARS YARD, 2012
