"As a self-professed, lifelong sneaker head, my love affair with Nike spans decades from Bo Jackson’s to Air Jordans. Holding a box with a fresh pair Nikes has always provided a euphoric sense of invincibility that has stayed with me throughout the years. Like any true Nike connoisseur, stacks of empty sneaker boxes have amassed in my closet and over time I wondered what could be done with various colors and textures from the assortment of boxes – an equally important piece of artwork as the shoe itself. Knowing it would be wasteful to let these boxes take up space, I opted to use my skills as a visual artist to channel the inner animal or beast that I believe exist in all of us, whether athlete or artist.
This is where the concept of a world of animals and beasts created out of deconstructed Nike boxes came to fruition. I have many passions and skills, one being able to identify simple overlooked items of refuse and reviving life into them, serving as a sort of artistic afterlife. This after life is a traveling show that conveys the beauty in reconstruction and recycling the countless Nike boxes that we throw away. There is life after the empty box."
Shoe Boxes to Raw Ish from Christophe Roberts on Vimeo.
