Words by Christopher Kevin Au

Fashion bros and style queens will tell you that sneakers are usually the most visually appealing element of any outfit. Moreover, since their original creation for sporting purposes, they’ve grown into an all-encompassing economy and cultural movement.

With brands churning out more wacky silhouettes and head-turning colours each and every day, it’s no surprise that many artists have chosen to depict sneakers and reinterpret their aesthetic keynotes into their own works. This Friday, three young artists and sneaker fanatics will be presenting Deadstock, an exhibition showcasing art revolving around footwear classics from the Puma’s favoured Disc Blaze to Nike’s immortal Air Max 95.

Ahead of the show at Federation Square Atrium, we caught up with artists Kodjowild, Kyle Adams and Liamme Cardinal to talk through their favourite sneaker memories, trend predictions and how they’ve fused their two passions for the Deadstock show. Find all the details here, which will also house tasty beverages and tunes from DJ Sal:

First things first, let’s start with an easy one: How did you all get into illustration and when did you start fusing that with your love of sneakers?

Kodjo: I’ve been interested in drawing since I was young, but it wasn’t until I broke my knee when I 14, that I really got into it. This injury kept me off my feet for many months, and I spent my time drawing comics and football players. I first started drawing football boots as I was really into soccer, and as I grew older it shifted to sneakers.

Kyle: I probably first really got into drawing and art in general early on in high school where I got a chance to start doing portraiture. I merged the two in my final Year 12 VCE piece, where I decided to try and digitally 3D model a shoe design I came up with that ended up looking more like a piece of LEGO than a shoe.

Liamme: I started drawing anime characters when I was younger. In terms of fusing with sneakers, I used to draw my favourite basketball players shoes, the earliest one I remember drawing were Tracy McGrady’s T-MAC 5s.

A lot of artists from Filfury to Careaux have focused on sneakers in their art. How do you keep things fresh and original?

Kodjo: My technique of choice is line work and hatching. The use of repetitive and minimalistic lines allows me to add as much detail as possible, and also include hidden words and messages, allowing the audience to not just view but also interact with my artwork.

Kyle: That’s a good question because I think it’s almost near impossible to be completely original and unique these days, but I guess just taking your own style and developing that to a point, and then adding in your own little bits and pieces can help differentiate your work from everyone else.

Liamme: A decent portion of my work is purely dotwork based. I’m drawn to the idea of creating something crazy with a very simple concept.

What do you guys hope to achieve with the ‘Deadstock’ exhibition?

Kodjo: To bring as many art enthusiasts and sneakerheads together and have an amazing time.

Kyle: I’d love for us to all gain a bit of exposure and be viewed as pretty legitimate artists instead of just another Instagram art account, haha. Plus, it’s always good getting your art out there as you never know what chances it could generate.

Liamme: We hope to create a sense of nostalgia with people who see our art. Every silhouette can be interpreted differently between everyone. It takes them back to a time in their life when the shoe first came out and the culture that was associated with that time.

Over the past few years we’ve also seen a massive resurgence in the Air Max 96, 97, 98 and TN. What do you think is going to be the next hype model from the Air Max arsenal?

Kodjo: I feel that the Ultra trend will take over all the above mentioned silhouettes and they will be hyped and super easily accessible to the general public. However, they will obviously never be to the standards of the OGs.

Kyle: Maybe something like the Invigor just because it has a somewhat similar silhouette to the 95’s which have proven incredibly popular.

Liamme: Air Max 360, the bubbles are so fresh!

What is it about Melbourne that allows the city to have such a strong sneaker and streetwear scene? What are some of your essential MLB spots to visit?

Kodjo: The fact that Melbourne is so multicultural and is such a destination spot for tourists – it gives you more room in creating your own style. Also, the fact that Melbourne weather is so all over the place, you always need to be ready for four seasons in one day. Melbourne spots I would recommend to visit are Saint Side and Concrete Jungle.

Kyle: Melbourne has always had a really strong sport, music and arts scene and I think the sneaker and streetwear scene kind of feeds off that. I definitely think that with the growth of appreciation for American culture, be it their sport or music it eventually rubs off on us down here. You probably don’t need to look much further than Kanye and his lines to see the impact American culture has. For me Brick and Mortar, Prime, and Kickz101 are probably always worth a suss if I’m in the vicinity.

Liamme: I think it strongly correlates with the strong music culture in Melbourne. It allows us to relate to places not necessarily close to Melbourne, but places that we can connect to an a cultural level. One essential spots to visit is 1st Product, because of the fact that they love to support local brands.

If you could collaborate with Nike on your own signature model, what shoe would it be and what would it look like?

Kodjo: If I could collaborate with Nike, I would work on either Air Max 97 or 98, as they have the same sole and air unit. I would probably make a pair with a ridiculous amount of camouflage. and mix them with the 97 silhouettes, as I really like the durability of army cargo, and for those that know me, will know how much I love camo.

Kyle: I would be all over the basketball side of Nike if given the chance, some of the Lebrons and KDs have been pretty wild over the years and growing up they always got me pretty excited. I love the kind of three dimensional, sculpted look of the Lebron 11s so a mix of that and maybe an Air Rift just for the sake of making something completely 100% wack.

Liamme: Uptempo 97. I’d like to keep it clean and hit it with a gumsole finish with a black upper.

What do you think has been the wackest sneaker trend that you could remember?

Kodjo: NMDs.

Kyle: Well everyone always rocked Dunlop Volleys when I was finishing up primary school. All the cool kids got the green ones and if you rocked blue or black you weren’t worth shit, haha.

Liamme: I’d have to say female sneakers with a wedge within. Dunk Sky Highs.

What’s on the cards for all of you in 2017?

Kodjo: Planning to get a move on and start working on creating a clothing line, carry on growing my hand drawn magnet business KodjoWild, and hopefully have my second solo exhibition.

Kyle: I want to keep drawing and pushing this whole art thing, whilst building up a folio of my own shoe designs to hopefully sneak my way into a design job.

Liamme: Starting my own website and selling heaps of originals and prints. Also collaborating and learning from more artists.