With this series of artwork, Adam Port examines Sneaker Culture through his photorealistic paintings of some of the most iconic sneakers from the past 50 years. Each painting celebrates the history of the icons who wore them as well as the designers who developed the legendary footwear. Adam will focus on a selection of coveted sneakers, including Air Jordans, Reebok Pumps and Adidas Superstars. Each sneaker-portrait represents a moment in pop culture that is kept alive through today’s vibrant collector’s market.
ADAM PORT
Artist Statement
My intention is to create a series of paintings that explore Sneaker Culture. Each object-portrait embodies a compelling history that invites observers to recall their own connection to featured sneakers. May that be nostalgia, status, fashion, function or icon emulation, the viewer can examine the significance and impact of sneakers through their own personal lens and experiences. Through my representational photorealist approach, the sneakers stay true to their form, as each sneaker designer originally intended. With detailed precision, I aim to interpret the respected designer’s deliberate choice of specific materials, color palette, incorporation of available technology and their fundamental interaction.
The Beginning (Air Jordan 1 High “Chicago” 1985)
$40,000
2020
36”x55”
Acrylic paint and pencil on panel
ABOUT THE ART
The original painting, measuring 36”x55”, was created with acrylic paint and pencil on art panel. The artwork features the Air Jordan 1 High “Chicago” 1985. The original pair of 1985 sneakers were found and photographed at Top Shelf Kicks in Caldwell, NJ.
The intention for this painting was to feature the iconic sneakers against the white background in a 3/4 portrait with the main elements of the sneakers exposed: The wings logo, the nike swoosh and the Nike Air tab on the tongue.
ABOUT THE SNEAKER
Arguably the most iconic sneaker of all time, the Air Jordan 1 changed the footwear industry. Back in 1984, a young Michael Jordan was looking to sign with a sneaker brand. MJ originally wanted to sign with Adidas but Nike’s commitment to creating a signature shoe as well as offering him a 25% royalty for every Air Jordan sold was enough for MJ to commit to Nike. According to sneaker collector and former ProServ employee Kris Arnold, based on his conversations with Peter Moore, Nike’s original plan was for two primary Air Jordan colorways: a white/black/red colorway (now known as the “Black Toe”) for home games and black/red for road games (now commonly referred to as the “Bred”).
Arnold says that, due to the threat of being fined, Nike adapted with an alternate colorway that met NBA regulations. This model is now referred to as the “Chicago” colorway. Jordan debuted the “Chicago” AJ 1’s on November 17th, 1984 against Dr J. and the Philadelphia 76ers.
In Flight (Air Jordan 4 Retro OG “Bred” 2019)
$27,500
2020
36”x36″
Acrylic paint and pencil on panel
ABOUT THE ART
The original painting, measuring 36”x36”, was created with acrylic paint and pencil on art panel. The artwork features the Air Jordan 4 Retro OG “Bred” 2019. The sneaker, photographed by Adam for reference, reveals the signature Nike Air hang tag, the Jumpman (Flight) logo on the tongue and the visible Nike Air Bubble on the midsole. The painting depicts the AJ IV floating in space, symbolizing MJ’s unmatched ability to float in the air, seemingly longer than his defenders, reminiscent of “The Shot.” The greyscale gradient background and drop shadow adds atmospheric depth and further represents Jordan’s artistry of flight.
ABOUT THE SNEAKER
In 1989, Nike released the Air Jordan IV to the public. It was the first Air Jordan to be released on the global market. The iconic sneaker was designed by the legendary Tinker Hatfield. It had four colorways: White/Black, Black/Cement Grey (Bred), White/Fire Red-Black, and Off White/ Military Blue.
During the 1988-89 season in which Michael wore the Air Jordan IV, he achieved his overall best statistical season with averages of 32.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. The same season saw the Bulls make their first Eastern Conference Finals of the Jordan era, firmly confirming them as a team to be taken seriously for championship contention. It was also in the AJ IV’s that Jordan made “The Shot” which was a series winning shot at the buzzer to advance the Bulls to the next round in a do or die situation against Craig Ehlo and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
What’s in the box?
$30,000
2022
36”x48”
Acrylic paint and pencil on panel
ABOUT THE ART
The test of a true sneaker collector is being able to identify a pair of kicks just by looking at the box. In this painting, the sneakerhead’s skills are put to that test. The art features a Nike sneaker box positioned backwards in a plastic bag. Without the label that’s located on the opposite side of the box in sight, it proves difficult to determine, however, there are few clues. The first would be the specific shade of orange. Another clue is the way the top is attached to the box, which you can identify by noticing the curvature on the right side of the lid. Can you guess what store the sneakers were purchased from? The black stripes on the bag might give that away, although it will unlikely help determine the type of sneakers inside. If none of these clues help, you might have to check out @artofadamport on instagram for additional clues.
The title of the painting is a nod to the 1995 classic film SEVEN, a psychological crime thriller directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman & Gwyneth Paltrow. Fans of the film will understand the origin of the quote “What’s in the Box?” Although they never actual show what’s in the box in the movie, the implication was shocking. Fortunately for this painting, it’s just a pair of Nikes.
ABOUT THE SNEAKER
In the ’70s, sneaker boxes were either white or blue. When Phil Knight debuted the Nike brand at the National Sporting Goods Association Show in Chicago in 1972, he sought packaging that would catch the eye of prospective buyers and industry insiders: “I’d wanted something that would stand out, that would pop on the shelves of sporting goods stores. So I’d asked Nippon Rubber for boxes of bright neon orange, figuring it was the boldest color in the rainbow.”
Laces Out (Adidas Superstars Retro 2014)
$25,000
2020
36”x36”
Acrylic paint and pencil on panel
ABOUT THE ART
Laces Out started with an idea to present the sneaker without laces, a la Run-D.M.C. The Superstars, which were originally designed for basketball but also have roots in Hip-Hop, were one of the first 4 pairs of sneakers that Adam selected for his “Art of the Sole” series. Adam came up with the title, Laces Out even before he photographed the sneakers. The play-on words are based on the subplot of the 1996 movie Ace Ventura. In the movie, the Miami Dolphins lost the 1984 Super Bowl due to a missed field goal caused by Dan Marino’s critical mistake to incorrectly hold the football – Laces Out.
The sneaker featured in the painting was found on eBay and the owner was gracious enough to bring the pair to be photographed at Adam’s Manhattan studio. The retro sneakers were hand crafted back in 2014 by Ateliers Heschung – the family factory that originally produced Superstars in France in the 1970’s.
The painting measures 36”x36” and was created with acrylic paint & pencil on board.
ABOUT THE SNEAKER
The Superstar was originally a basketball shoe manufactured by Adidas in 1969. It was released as a low-top version of the Pro Model basketball shoe. By 1973, a large majority of professional basketball players across the US had swapped out their Converse All Stars and Pro Keds for Adidas Superstars. They were even worn by top players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West.
The explosion of hip-hop from the mid-1980’s was where the Adidas Superstar’s next chapter would begin. Run-D.M.C., the new favorite hip-hop group from Hollis Queens, wore the Adidas shell-toes and were the band’s onstage shoe of choice. They sported them laceless with the tongues pushed out. In 1986, the Rap group released their first album Raising Hell. Their first single My Adidas subsequently led to the first endorsement deal between a music company and an athletic company.
PUMP IT UP (Reebok Pump Shaq Attaq “Orlando” 2017)
$37,500
2020
36”x48”
Acrylic paint and pencil on panel
ABOUT THE ART
One of the first pair of sneakers I wanted to make sure was part of the “Art of the Sole” series was the Shaq Attaq, his first signature shoe. Part of it was nostalgia. Seeing the pump brings me back to being a kid. Growing up in the 90’s it seemed like every kid was either wearing a pair of Jordans or a par of Reebok Pumps. I was no exception – I had to have both. The other reason was that Shaq was force of nature. Not only was his talent unmatched, his larger than life personality made him a joy to watch. I wanted to translate that in one of my paintings and what better way to symbolize his larger than life personality than to take his size 22 shoe and represent that in a large scale painting.
Although not the original from ‘92, the sneaker presented in the painting is a retro from 2017. Reebok did a great job replicating the original sneaker as well as the accompanied hangtag. I found a dead stock pair on eBay and quickly bought it. I then photographed it in my studio from every angle. Ultimately, I chose to use only 1 sneaker and showcase it from the side with just enough of an angle for the pump, featured on the tongue, to be in plain sight.
ABOUT THE SNEAKER
The Shaq Attaq 1 was originally released in 1992. With hype surrounding Shaq’s entrance into the NBA and his dominant game to back it up, Shaq was quickly rewarded with his first signature shoe deal with Reebok. At the time, Reebok was an unproven upstart in the basketball sneaker market.
Reebok designer Judy Close was tasked with the challenge of creating a unique shoe, as Reebok wanted it’s first NBA signature shoe to stand out and function to handle the wear-andtear it would receive from O’Neal’s play.
Reebok turned to its running shoe department for inspiration. A few years ahead of the Air Jordan XI, which is often credited as being the first basketball shoe to feature a carbon fiber support shank, the Shaq Attaq utilized Reebok’s Graphlite plate for extra support in the midfoot. This technology provided stability and strength to handle O’Neal’s size while maintaining the shoes light weight. The pair also featured a leather and suede upper and the brand’s featured Pump technology on the tongue, for a customized fit and feel.
“The key to this shoe in terms of functional was the great fit and comfort, that’s why the two corporate technologies were included, being the Pump bladder that was also used in other basketball shoes and the newly created graphite shank that was originally in running shoes and now was through the forefoot,” Close said. “That allowed us to remove more foam in the midsole and open up making the shoe lighter weight, knowing the graphite would allow someone like Shaquille to play in the shoe and not have it collapse. So we certainly had to consider all of his movement, side-to-side, forward, in addition to the aesthetic parameters.”
The sneaker was originally released in only two colorways, utilizing the team’s home and away colors – The Shaq Attaq “Orlando” and The Shaq Attaq “Away.” Both rereleased for the first time in 2013. For it’s 25th anniversary, The “Orlando” colorway were released again in 2017, shortly after Shaq returned to the brand.
