Sneakerness and Hyprints have a great history together, it was Sneakerness Rotterdam in 2017 that was the first big stepping stone for Hyprints – which was founded just a couple of weeks prior. Hyprints has been present with our own stand at all Dutch editions ever since. Last year we started discussing the possibility to set up an art exposition at one of the events in the Netherlands. An honour for me personally. Unfortunately, we couldn’t proceed with the plans due to the state of the world at the time. We remained in touch and started having the same conversations again in 2021. And guess what? Nothing was stopping us now! So I developed a concept, we invited artists, found a sponsor, and rolled out our plans. Weeks rushed by and there it was, the citizenM Art Gallery curated by Hyprints at Sneakerness Amsterdam 2021!
We invited 14 different artists from around the world to exhibit their sneaker art at the gallery. From illustrators to painters, we found some incredibly talented people and were grateful that they agreed to participate! I’d like to introduce them to you 1 by 1 and make sure to check out their work. Also, we still have some prints left! Couldn’t be at Sneakerness? Or do you regret not buying one? This is your chance, check them out here!
David Oku (34) is an illustrator living in London, with Nigerian and Italian roots. His work is a blend of modern-day symbols, his African heritage, and psychedelic craziness. David recently took the stage as a finalist at the World Illustration Championship and was 1 of 6 winners of 36daysoftype 2021! We only have a couple of David’s Jordan 4 prints left, make sure to get one!
Eloy Guerra Navarro (ARTWARS) is an multi talent! This Barcelona-based artist makes paper sneaker sculptures with the size of your fingernail, 2D layered 3D art, paintings and illustrations. Sounds crazy? Check it out yourself. Eloy’s painting of the Nike SB Dunk Travis Scott drew many eyes at the Sneakerness gallery, and we still have some for sale!
Natascha Naumann (30) is an incredibly talented artist from Munich, Germany. She draws, hyper-realistic images of sneakers. As she is currently working on her third drawing so far, we can’t wait to see what she will create in the future. Armed with pencils, Natascha creates works that you would easily mistake for a photo. Her statement piece ‘It’s Bananas’ is still for sale as an art print!
Marcos Cabrera is a Canary Islands (Spain) based illustrator and graphic designer. His designs are full of strange imagery with a penchant for monsters and the macabre. His work is highly influenced by the skateboard and surf lifestyles, and by the sub-cultures of punk rock and hardcore. Marcos has worked together with brands like Desigual, G-Shock, and Vice Magazine. His Sean Wotherspoon Air Max 1/97 VW van print is still up for grabs!
J-Ldn – Jack London (30) – is a UK-born artist who’s living in Stockholm, Sweden. His sculptures are influenced by street and pop culture and mirrors relationships between cultures and objects. His highly popular (and always sold-out) Shoeuzi project is a metaphoric art series about the control commercial brands have on consumers. We have prints of the 95 Neon Shoeuzi available, check them out here!
Cait (Caitlin, 29) Burton is an illustrator based in Warwickshire, UK. Cait makes the most creative sneaker art illustrations religiously. Every week new work pops up on her social media account. Her hyperbolic sneaker concepts blew us away, and we were glad one of her works was included in the gallery! Unfortunately, the Spider-Man print is already sold out.
Kathy Ager (39) is a Canadian painter living in Vancouver. Her amazingly detailed work depicts a mix of modern and traditional symbols, and contain hidden messages directed towards the audience. Subjects of her paintings include flowers, sneakers, fashion, classical art, foods, and dead animals. This sounds like a crazy combination, but Kathy makes it work, exceptionally. We only have 1 of Kathy’s prints left, by the time you read this, it’s probably sold out.
Another known face at Sneakerness is Nikki van Toorn (22), at least, you can only see her when she’s not behind the camera. But that is exactly what she does best, take beautiful pictures. Her breakthrough came within the sneaker industry, and today she’s the go-to photographer of many famous Dutch (hip hop) artists. Take a unique look through her lens, with her take on the Jordan 1 Shattered Backboard print.
David Blake (HEKStyle) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work is inspired by his surroundings and explores our relationship with our individual journeys, which can often be harsh and unforgiving. Sneakers are a repeating element in HEKStyles personal work and aim to symbolise the trek of these personal journeys. His take on the Covid-19 situation, with a unique Air Max 90 twist, is still available as a print!
Carlos O. Docando (38) aka The HatKid, is an illustrator and graffiti artist from Barcelona, Spain. His bold use of color brings us straight back to the ’80s and ’90s. The HatKid’s work is influenced by sneakers, hip hop, and street culture. Besides illustrating, you can find Carlos in the streets spraying his iconic HatKid everywhere. Wanna score a HatKid print? We still have some in stock!
Musketon (Bert Dries, 31) is a Belgian illustrator living in Ghent. Musketon has often illustrated sneakers but is more focused on political and satirical pieces nowadays. With a great dose of humor, he creates works that mock big corporates, politicians, and society as a whole. Musketon’s Nikea illustration sold out quickly during the exposition and is not available anymore.
Careaux (Caroll Lynn, 31) is a creative director, illustrator, and editor for Shecozy Life Of. Her platform is dedicated to fashion, art, beauty, and lifestyle – with a focus on sneakers with a feminine touch. Her incredible cutout artworks are hanging in houses around the world, and we were happy we got one for the expo. Her prints sold out first, on day one!
Jonas (33) has been a common face at the Sneakerness events, either with his own table or as part of the art wall. This Belgian illustrator creates 90’s influenced designs, with animals, tracksuits, and sneakers. “It’s probably partly nostalgic because I grew up then. I love the cartoons, movies, and TV shows, but most of all the hip hop and street fashion of that era.”, as said by Jonas in an interview with Sneaker Freaker. Wanna hang his ‘Tiger Style’ print in your house? Get it herrrr.
Last but not least, it’s me, Hyprints (Sven Dekker, 30)! I love to play with symbolism, metaphors, and imagery, to create otherworldy mashups of different elements. With Hyprints, I’m trying to make art more accessible, and inspire people to start creating! For the exposition, I chose to display my ‘We Breathe Air’ print, as well as my Sneaker Heart Clock. Both are still available on the webshop!
Check out the whole collection of citizenM Art Gallery prints here.
