Sneakers culture and Black identity
Establishing a firm position of Black figure in society over time, artists present snippets of ordinary life, togetherness and elements of cultural expression.
There have always been plenty of ways to give sense to our time in this world. The logic teaches us that we start being physically present the moment we are born, and we disappear soon after ceasing to exist. But it is the emotions that push us to leave a mark, a symbol, so that we can find relief from the fear of oblivion– reassured to be remembered in the future. I thereby summarised this vision, conveyed by the artists from The Time Is Always Now: Artists Reframe The Black Figure exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery in London, with the hope of being able to click with it.
“As well as surveying the presence of the black figure in Western art history, we examine its absence”
Writer and curator Ekow Eshun reflected on The Time Is Always Now exhibition. To further explain the aim of the display, he added: “this is about these artists looking at the figure, the black figure in this case, and thinking about how that figure, men, women, how they stand in society.” At the gallery, I unexpectedly identified with the many painted characters living the little moments of their present, bearing the shaping of cultural memories for future generations through simple and relatable acts of life.
I found myself drawn towards their shoes. Suddenly, sneakers of all types and colours linked the work of UAL (University of the Arts London) graduate Thomas J Price, As Sounds Turn To Noise (2023), Amy Sherald, A Midsummer Afternoon Dream (2020), and Jennifer Packer, Untitled (2019).
I couldn’t help but compare my shoe size, getting my foot close to the golden trainers of “the larger-than-life, fictional female figure challenging the concept of memorialisation in Britain” by Price, or guessing the scaling factor between my feet and a pair of blue sneakers, stored down the bed of a lady relaxing on her bed in Packer’s Untitled painting. Later, I realised how powerful the presence of such shoes was in the art from The Time Is Always Now. Those sneakers represent more than just footwear to get to work, or dance in a club — they stand as a symbol of the Black identity. They are offering access to Black culture’s values, so that they can be seen from close, become valuable for many and be remembered.
“If you look back at when sneakers became very popular from a style perspective. It wholeheartedly includes Black culture”
Delisia Matthews, associate professor in the Wilson College of Textiles, explained her research to Wilson College News. She recalled how the Adidas Shell Toes boomed after the release of My Adidas by Run DMC, placing the roots of the sneaker fashion trend in the hip hop culture. Matthews also said, “everything is evolving […] there are a lot more individuals who are becoming a part of the sneaker culture that might not be a part of that ethnic group.” Again, looking at my shoes I left near the entrance door after coming back from the exhibition, I was surprised to realise I didn’t need a permission to relate and be part of the sneakers culture— I have been a member of it for all this time.
