Philly-based artist and activist Roberto Lugo is reshaping the dialog round “excessive” and “low” artwork. By way of his ceramic creations, Lugo explores the symbiotic relationship between artwork, design and tradition, fusing classical pottery types with the uncooked power of up to date avenue model.
At New York’s R & Firm, Lugo’s newest exhibition pays tribute to the enduring visible affect of Nike Air Power 1‘s on basketball and hip-hop by way of the Nineteen Eighties and 90s. Titled Drip, the showcase pairs hand-painted sneakers together with his beloved teapots, capturing each the spirit of avenue vogue and the “dripping” results of ceramic glaze. The artist elevates streetwear to a “revered artwork kind,” and in doing so, honors its makers – faces which might be too-often absent on luxurious objects.
That includes the likes of LL Cool J, A Tribe Known as Quest, Lauren Hill, Biggie and Run D.M.C., Lugo adorns his teapots in wealthy patchworks of colours, sample, sculptural options and graffiti components. On the sneaker entrance, every design is topped with a gold-framed pigeon tag. Notable footwear works embrace “Jibaro,” the place he honors his Puerto Rican roots with a lush scene of farmers and dancers, and “Winged Victory,” a conceptual sneaker impressed by the Greek goddess Niké of Samothrace.
Drip expands on the artist’s exploration of justice, class and creative hierarchy, rethinking the that means of “cultural worth” and its consumption throughout eras. “By fusing Black cultural historical past with centuries-old ceramic traditions, Lugo redefines these objects – the sneaker and the teapot – as significant symbols of identification and collective tradition,” the gallery wrote.
The exhibition is now on view by way of April 11.
R & Firm
64 White St,
New York, NY 10013
