ART: A DISNEY ANIMATOR HAS REIMAGINED YOUR FAVORITE MUSICIANS AS CARTOON CHARACTERS

Conceptualizing and designing animated characters is no easy task, especially for multinational mass media companies like Disney. For those who are unfamiliar, Alex Alvarado is the brains behind Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and more from Frozen and Frozen 2, as well as Moana.

Other than his work for the Mickey Mouse company, Alvarado also uses his talent to transform musicians like Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Drake and Kendrick Lamar into their cartoon versions. As seen above, Alvarado pays great attention to detail and focuses on every single element from the subject’s hair strands to the embroidery of their garments. Take a closer look at the digital artworks above.

Head over to Alvarado’s Instagram page and check out more of his designs.

KICKS: YG Announces Release Date For Inaugural 4Hunnid Block Runner Sneaker

YG is known for being an artist that not only goes hard on the mic, but walks around with undeniable swag. And instead of going out and trying to land a sneaker deal with a sportswear brand, he’s taking matters into his own hands by crafting his own footwear silhouette that will launch under his 4Hunnid imprint: the Block Runner.

The “FDT” rapper first teased his newest creation just before 2020 concluded, and now he has officially unveiled it. Being that YG was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and represents his city to the umpteenth degree, he designed his sneaker to pay homage to a model that many Southern Californians would consider a local classic: the Nike Cortez. Like the classical Swoosh silhouette — which is also closely associated with the movie Forrest Gump that starred Tom Hanks — these kicks are crafted with 100% leather base layers. The biggest difference here is that instead of checks on the side walls, the Bompton MC slaps on a fiery logo. To make the shoes even more on-brand, he adorns the tongues with a “The Flame” spell-out while the heels are ornamented with debossed 4Hunnid branding.

“The Block Runner name is inspired by what 4Hunnid represents: the Westcoast”, says YG when reflecting on his new product. “It’s only right our first sneaker caters to the streets and glorifies The Block because [the block] is where everything starts for me.”

To celebrate his first sneaker release, YG will be hosting an exclusive pop-up for his hometown of LA in early April. If interested in copping, you can expect this crispy clean “The Flame” pair to launch on March 26 for $200 USD via the 4Hunnid online store.

FASHION: TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT DAILY PAPER'S SS21 COLLECTION

Daily Paper has unveiled a Spring/Summer 2021 editorial spotlighting its latest collection, “Future Roots.” Lensed by Chakhani in a series of images inspired by family portraits, the campaign is an homage to community and togetherness — “Family is visualized as something not exclusively bound to a shared bloodline, but rather as something that can be chosen and celebrated in a multitude of ways,” the brand states.

Suiting and tracksuits are photographed side-by-side, juxtaposing structure and ease. Statement pieces including a lace dress reading “If you’re always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be” and a tailored shirt with a built-in silk scarf are also highlighted. Crisp white shirting is styled together in a group portrait set against a tufted tapestry backdrop, while patterned separates pop against sparser scenery.

ART WORLD:

In February, Christie’s Hong Kong announced that it will be listing Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1982 painting, entitled Warrior, up for auction as part of its Global Spring Season of 20th Century sales. The artwork portrays a bold, anatomical subject brandishing a sword and shield with made with forceful lines alongside blue and yellow color blocking in the backdrop. With this mixed-media piece on wood panel, Basquiat wanted to “symbolize the struggles of Black men in a white-dominated world,” as per The New York Times. 

Warrior recently sold for $41.9 million USD with fees, becoming the most expensive Western artwork ever sold at auction in Asia. Having an initial pre-sale estimate between $31-$41 million USD, Warrior was offered unconventionally as a single lot and led the live-streamed evening sale which also included several old masterworks including a rediscovered portrait by Vincent van Gogh entitled La Mousmé. The sale is a milestone for the Western art market in Asia and follows the auction house’s continued success from previous auctions especially in London and New York that realized  $61,139,818 USD in total value. 

“Basquiat is one of the strongest markets coming out of the pandemic,” said Christophe van de Weghe, a dealer who specializes in Basquiats told the Times. “It’s worldwide. You can sell Basquiat, like Picasso, to someone in India or Kazakhstan or Mexico. You can have a 28-year-old spending millions on Basquiat and you can have a guy who is 85. He appeals to all kinds of people, from rappers to hedge-fund guys.”

Get a closer look at Basquiat’s Warrior above and then head to Christie’s website for more information on the sale.Earlier this week, Banksy‘s Game Changer painting set a new auction world record. The piece, which honors U.K. healthcare workers, also set a new personal record for the artist, selling for $23.1 million USD at Christie’s in London.

Sold to benefit the University Hospital Southampton staff and patients, the artwork sold over four times its high estimate of $4.8 million USD. The auction price nearly doubled Banksy’s previous record, held by the artist’s 2009 oil-on-canvas Devolved Parliament painting. In 2019, Devolved Parliament previously sold for $13.6 million USD at Sotheby’s. The auction house confirmed that all proceeds from the sale will be donated to the hospital, health organizations and charities across the country.

Prior to the auction, Game Changer was on display at the hospital where Banksy donated the piece and included a note stating, “Thanks for all you’re doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if its only black and white.”

Oftentimes, Banksy is best known for his sardonic approach to his art, but with Game Changer, the artist reveals a heartfelt moment in his piece. Christie’s calls this piece, “the simple, universal values that have come to the fore during the pandemic – family, home and time spent with loved ones.”

Game Changer is not Banksy’s first pandemic-related piece. Three months after donating Game Changer, he left face-masked stenciled rats across the London Underground before it was removed for violating London’s strict graffiti laws. In December 2020, he also left a mural of a woman violently sneezing in Totterdown.Rare early artwork by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama that have never been exhibited to the public will soon be up for sale.

The pieces, which feature her signature Infinity Nets motif, will be offered in a special single-owner collection sale at Bonhams New York in May called Kusama: The Collection of the late Dr Teruo Hirose. There will be three paintings and eights works on paper available, and the total collection is estimated to be worth up to $14 million USD.

Kusama gifted the art to her lifelong friend and doctor Teruo Hirose, who came to America from Japan within a few years of Kusama. He made a name for himself by providing low-cost or pro bono medical care to Japanese immigrants, including Kusama, who used her artwork as currency to pay for her medical treatments.

According to Bonhams, the paintings reflect the use of color not usually seen in Kusama’s later work.

“These early works are exceptionally rare due to Kusama’s use of the color red — almost all her other works of this period are white. The third painting in the collection, Untitled, is a very early example of Kusama combining vibrant colors and the scale of the work lends an immersive quality, something that foreshadows the artist’s later work such as her Infinity Rooms.”

In other news, a new book about Kusama’s career and her profound mental health journey will be available for purchase on April 22.

NFT ART:

From engaging in virtual spray-painting sessions during quarantine to creating digitized artworks that change in real time, It makes sense for Felipe Pantone to foray into the world of crypto art. The Spanish artist recently launched his first-ever series of non-fungible tokens on Nifty Gateway, but the art isn’t what you’d expect. Instead of reimagining his well-known works featuring computer glitches and gradients, the artist opted to spotlight his prolific graffiti background on the blockchain. 

Better known as PANT1 in the graffiti and street art world, Pantone has released a series called the GRAFFITI COLLECTION that pays homage to the underground art form while subverting the existence of analog art making by memorializing it in the crypto art realm. “I created ‘THE GRAFFITI COLLECTION’ as my very first NFT release as a way to best utilize this innovative medium and technology. Understanding graffiti’s fleeting and ephemeral nature, only through block-chain technology do these pieces permanently establish ownership and remain in existence forever unlike many of the graffiti pieces I have created,” said Pantone in a statement.

The artist’s manager and BEYOND THE STREETS founder, Roger Gastman, echoed the sentiment in a statement, having expressed: “Graffiti is impermanent, it is constantly being challenged. As a graffiti artist your ownership of the artwork on the wall only exist for a finite amount of time before its buffed and gone forever. This perspective is being challenged with the rise of a new digital age upon us.”

Head to Nifty Gateway’s website to view Felipe Pantone’s GRAFFITI COLLECTIONwhich features three unique compositions: T1: Rome, M1: Monterrey and G3: Valencia. The first edition is limited to 200 tokens while the other two are standalone works up for grabs at silent auctions on the platform.

Elsewhere in art, the world’s largest canvas painting was purchased by a crypto businessman for $62 million USD.An artwork from a canvas crowned the largest in the world has sold for $62 million USD in Dubai.

British artist Sacha Jafri created the painting, which won a Guinness World Record last year, in the ballroom of the Atlantis hotel in Dubai. The 17,000 square foot artwork titled The Journey of Humanity was created over a period of 28 weeks using over 6,300 liters of paint.

The painting was split into 70 lots and was bought as a whole by French cryptocurrency businessman Andre Abdoune for $62 million USD, Reuters reports, making Jafri one of the most expensive living artists.

Jafri had intended to auction off the artwork for charity and hoped to raise $30 million USD from the sales. Proceeds were set to benefit several charitable organizations, including UNESCO, UNICEF, Dubai Cares, and the Global Gift Foundation.

Humanity Inspired said the project would help communities impacted by COVID-19. “The project will set up progressive and more affective sustainable education & health hubs, equipped with the internet for online learning, medical supplies, health care, inoculations, vaccines, and sanitation, within the poorest and most desperate communities of the world, aiming to save 10 million child lives globally.”

On Tuesday, Warrior by Jean-Michel Basquiat became the most expensive Western artwork to be sold at auction in Asia. The 1982 painting by the late artist is said to symbolize racial inequality and sold for $41.9 million USD with fees.Superchief Gallery is opening a new location in New York this week, pegging itself as the “world’s first physical exhibition space dedicated solely to NFT artwork.”

Partnering with digital art platform Blackdove, Superchief’s new Union Square gallery will showcase NFT works from over 300 artists, including iconic street artist Swoon. The pieces will be displayed on high resolution 4k commercial grade screens.

Superchief co-founder Ed Zipco said in a press release that NFTs represent a major progression for digital artists and the wider art world.

“This is a watershed moment for the art world at large because NFTs created a system of royalties for digital artists,” he explained. “It’s the beginning of a sustainable model in which creators can profit when their investors profit.”

Superchief says that the gallery will also operate as a “carbon negative” space, with carbon credit purchases offsetting the environmental impacts of minting NFTs.

The gallery will open on March 25 with its inaugural exhibition of NFT work called Season One Starter Pack. The space will also host a daily rotation of art instillations through May 25.

NFTs have been completely dominating the digital art space in recent weeks. Musician Mike Shinoda shared with HYPEBEAST his thoughts on the new blockchain collectible and how it’s shaping the future of creative ownership.

Superchief Gallery NFT
56 East 11th Street (between Broadway & University)
New York, NY 10003In 2018, famed auction house Christie’s held its first annual Art+Tech Summit to discuss the intersection of emerging technologies and art. For the London event, SuperRare — a popular digital art marketplace — gifted each attendee with a unique tokenized frame of a digital artwork created by artist and programmer Robbie Barrat.

According to SuperRare, digital art tokenized on blockchain was a relatively new concept at the time, and NFTs — or non-fungible tokens — were not nearly as widespread as they are now. Barrat’s digital piece for the event, called AI Generated Nude Portrait #7,  was split into 300 distinct layers and attendees were told they could claim the art online using a special gift card.

“The team put the cards into the gift bags and explained the story around them to as many people as possible, but the concept of cryptoart was still so early, weird and new to the folks in the room that many of the attendees had no idea how special the gift would end up being down the line,” SuperRare’s Zack Yanger wrote in a blog post in September. “They literally had nuggets of digital gold in their gift bags.”

Last year, one of the NFTs resold online for over $13,000 USD as online collectors became intrigued by the rare works. Another resold for $4,396 USD. Barrat’s other works listed as NFTs have recently fetched over $100,000 USD at online auction.

It’s likely that those who attended the 2018 conference did not realize how valuable NFTs would become. In an op-ed penned by Elliot Safra, one of the creators behind the Art+Tech Summit, in ArtNet on Monday, he explained that only 12 out of 300 people claimed Barrat’s NFTs gifted to them at the summit.

Safra said that unless the other gift cards are found, ownership over the other 288 artworks can never be claimed. “They are lost in an ‘internet museum’ — accessible for all to view, but for no one to own.”

This example highlights the complexity of selling art as NFTs and the recent boom in value attributed to the rare collectibles. Several artists, musicians, and tech billionaires have digitized their works and have offered them up for sale at hefty prices as NFTs.

FRESH KICKS:

UPDATE (March 24, 2021): Back in December 2020, adidas Originals announced its collaboration with The Muppets. Now, the Kermit the Frog Stan Smith silhouette is set to drop later this month along with other Disney-inspired designs.

Featuring two iterations, the first style arrives in a minimal design, while the second pair is dressed with graphics of the iconic character. Both of the sneakers‘ uppers are crafted out of the brand’s sustainablePrimegreen material, while the outsoles are made from recycled rubber. Elsewhere, the archetypal green heel tab sports the muppet’s signature catchphrase: “It’s not easy being green.” Take a closer look at the offerings above.

The Kermit the Frog x adidas Originals Stan Smiths will be available on March 29 exclusively at adidas’ website and its physical stores worldwide, while select retailers will receive a later launch date of April 1.

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ORIGINAL STORY (December 20, 2020): Following the announcement of its sustainable 2021 Stan Smith, adidas Originals has unveiled the silhouette in a new design in collaboration with The Muppets. The sneaker features Kermit the Frog, one of puppeteer Jim Henson’s early creations from back in the ’50s.

Crafted from recycled materials, the shoe boasts a clean white leather upper with hits of lime green throughout. The iconic character’s name, “Kermit,” can be found on the lateral, replacing the original “Stan Smith” branding. Rounding out the style is the Kermit illustration placed towards the rear and part of the muppet’s signature catchphrase, “It’s not easy being green,” on the heel tabs. Take a closer look at adidas’ latest offering in the gallery above.

Reportedly priced at $90 USD, the Kermit the Frog x adidas Originals Stan Smith will be available in the coming months at adidas’ web store and select retailers.Following their cream-colored iteration, Pharrell Williams and adidas Originals have returned with a brand new colorway for the Hu NMD sneaker. The silhouette arrives in a monochromatic pink shade with hits of black for added contrast.

Previous designs feature the phrase “Human Race” in Korean and Vietnamese. For this rework, the footwear style’s upper is embroidered with Chinese writing that also translates to the same meaning. The upper is constructed out of Primeknit material, while the BOOST-equipped midsole and rubber outsole provide comfort and durability. Rounding out the pair are the co-branded sock liners and extra lace options.

Take a closer look above. Pharrell Williams x adidas Originals’ pink Hu NMD will release on March 27 online and at select retailers for $220 USD.A standout piece of Jordan Brand‘s forthcoming Summer 2021 retro lineup, the Air Jordan 4 “Tech Grey” was first revealed at the top of the year — and ahead of its summer debut, we’ve now been given an on-foot look. Though it was first thought that the seminal Air Jordan 4 “White Cement” may have been returning as part of the Summer 2021 Air Jordan collection, the “Tech Grey” is a suitable stand-in, no small task when it’s compared to one of the most iconic AJ4s of all time.

Built from smooth white leather and boasting white mesh netting plus white “wings,” the uppers kick things off with a crisp look. A small touch of “Fire Red” appears on the tongue tag’s outer Jumpman and inner badge while a gray Jumpman graces the heels. Familiar cement print appears on both the top and bottom eyestays. 

Midsoles are done up almost entirely in this gray and black cement print (save for the white rubber toe bumper) and surround a gray heel Air Max cushioning unit. Two-tone white and gray outsoles with a final “Fire Red” jumpman serve up a dash of classic style on the bottom to round off the look.

Early reports have the Air Jordan 4 “Tech Grey” releasing in both men’s and grade school sizes come May 29, though this has yet to be confirmed by Jordan Brand. The MSRP for men’s pairs will likely be set at $190 USD, and grade school at $140 USD.Reebok has released a wide-reaching array of Question Mids over the last few months, colorways with inspirations divergent as the 2001 NBA All-Star Game and “bike life.” However, the Question‘s latest makeup may be its most unique — and is definitely its sweetest — yet: a collaboration with beloved children’s board game Candy Land. 

As you might expect from a Candy Land sneaker, the shoe is covered in game-inspired patterns, prints and textures. The salmon-colored toebox features purple dots for a nod to the game board’s “dot spots” and the throat is covered in a fuzzy, grass-like green material that acknowledges the board’s background color. Both of these pieces appear in stark contrast to the upper’s white leather base.

Moving to the midfoot, each quarter panel replaces its standard Vector logo with an iridescent piece. On the lateral side this is branded “Rainbow Trail” to salute one of the game’s two shortcuts. Under the medial eyelets, there’s a partially-hidden text graphic that reads “An Allen Iverson Shoe,” and signature Candy Land branding graces each tongue.

The shoe’s rear wraps things up with a neopolitan ice cream-like assemblage on the heel, special branding on the inside of the tongue and Iverson’s #3 in candy cane fashion on the back of the outsole. A white midsole with uncolored DMX cushioning units and a sparkling green outsole finalize the look. The shoe is also accompanied by a gingerbread man hangtag, a nod to Candy Land‘s character pieces.

Candy Land‘s Reebok Question Mid will release via the Reebok Japan webstore on March 25 and is priced at ¥19,800 JPY (approximately $182 USD). A US release will likely follow in the coming weeks.Coca-Cola and ASICS (TOKYO:7936.T +3.62%) have joined forces for a richly-colored iteration of the GEL-Quantum 90. Swathed in Coca-Cola’s signature red shade and boasting special branded details, this co-created sneaker is a sweet homage to a beloved soft drink and a possible nod to the Tokyo Olympic Games all rolled into one.

Mesh uppers are done up entirely in red, as is the raised Tiger Stripe midfoot cage, which features cut-off Coca-Cola logos slapped on its lateral and medial side alike. More subtle Coke logos can be seen on the heel and the lace keeper: the former is a tonal spellout, the latter a white Coke bottle. There’s also a white ASICS hit on the tongue and a white Coca-Cola spellout on the red insole.

Down below, sharply-shaped foam midsoles are done up in white, with green GEL cushioning wrapping around the heel for a clever nod to glass Coke bottles. Simple white outsoles round off the look. It’s also interesting to note that this shoe’s official title is the “Tokyo,” alluding to the fact that it may be a collaborative product for the forthcoming Tokyo Olympic Games — a fitting collaboration, as ASICS is a Japanese company and Coca-Cola is the longest-running sponsor of the International Olympic Committee.

Look for the Coca-Cola x ASICS GEL-Quantum 90 to release via retailers like NAKEDon April 9. The MSRP is set at $140 USD.