The first exhibition will be held at the London flagship store
Godwin Champs Namuyimba’s exhibition at the London flagship store
In celebrating ASICS Onitsuka Tiger’s Tiger Gallery concept, there is an opportunity to discuss why the combination of sneakers and art is intrinsically linked and how an art gallery may be a non-traditional and limited method of engaging with fans, but it can be a gameplan for visual merchandising.
The Tiger Gallery follows a long tradition of sneakers and art. I’ve documented a lot of events on this site, but long before I even considered entering the sneaker industry I, like so many kids, sketched sneakers on notebooks and did graffiti featuring Fila as an homage to emcees like Just Ice and his classic album “Back to the Old School”. That album cover was a form of social media for kids in the 80s. We knew that fashion was shaped by the dope boys, but we also still felt tied to the foundation of Hip-Hop which was graffiti. At that time Nike hadn’t become the power that it is, and sneaker culture was tied to the clothing we wore for B-Boying and attempting to look the part even if no one was breakdancing.
Art was a foundational element of sneaker culture, that remains in customizing but isn’t really celebrated and connected as much as it should be. A scroll through this site delivers information on a variety of brands and artists. Onitsuka is elevating the tradition with the Art Gallery Project. The first pop-up takes place in their doors. It’s a strategy utilized by sneaker shop Bodega and one Foot Locker’s Power Stores somewhat copy from the flagship concept of Jimmy Jazz in Harlem. The flagship Jimmy Jazz store featured artwork throughout the building created by local artists bringing the community into the store. Jimmy Jazz didn’t move this concept beyond the flagship, but it seems Foot Locker will extend the inclusion of art and events in their new store concepts.
Onitsuka has chosen a High Street location in London and the decision to align with an African artist is intentional. Godwin is Ugandan. London’s various issues with the mistreatment of African immigrants is well documented. Onitsuka is making a political and artistic gesture in presenting the artwork of Godwin Champs Namuyimba.
While there is a commercial aspect, this can be seen in the picture above where the subject is rocking a pair of Tigers, art doesn’t exist without patronage and art shouldn’t be diminished by commercial aspects. Far too often artists are asked to sacrifice security and well-being for their craft. The craft and skill honed over years from high school, to college, to a professional career gives a creator the right to generate revenue from what they are building especially when the benefactor is a billion-dollar corporation looking to find connection via commerce.
Read more about the curation and creation of the Tiger Gallery: Tiger Gallery | Onitsuka Tiger United Kingdom