Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Victor Solomon Turns Basketball Backboards into Works of Art

Working with stained glass is not something that one can do without practice. After a year of apprenticing under veteran glass masters, San Francisco based artist Victor Solomon got to master this delicate craft himself. He has always been a big basketball fan, so it felt only natural that he turn his skills onto basketball backboards, which he transforms into works of art. Each backboard in his series titled "Literally Balling" is ornamented with luxurious materials and gems, including the net and rim.

Working with stained glass is not something that one can do without practice. After a year of apprenticing under veteran glass masters, San Francisco based artist Victor Solomon got to master this delicate craft himself. He has always been a big basketball fan, so it felt only natural that he turn his skills onto basketball backboards, which he transforms into works of art. Each backboard in his series titled “Literally Balling” is ornamented with luxurious materials and gems, including the net and rim. They are not meant to be used in any basketball game- their delicate materials take away the backboards’ original function. Solomon sees stained glass as an expensive material that was originally used in religious institutions, but has since become a symbol of status and power. These pieces are his interpretation of the powerful celebrity culture that is cultivated by the sports industry. Next, he will be at the Scope Art Fair in Miami with Joseph Gross Gallery, after which he will exhibit in his first solo exhibition with the gallery on Feb 25th, 2016.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
There's a magical quality in the stained glass work of Erlend Tait, a Scottish artist who offers both a contemporary slant to the form and observes its traditions. He packs these works with the symbolism and vibrancy that recall ancient craftsman, yet his figures are representative of the modern, diverse populous.
Judith Schaechter draws on Catholic iconography, contemporary culture, and Greek mythology to create stained glass works of art that recall Hieronymus Bosch's chaotic hellscapes. Based in Philadelphia, Schaechter has work in the permanent collections of several world-renowned museums: Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Corning Museum of Glass, and The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution. She utilizes the timeworn art form of stained glass to create dark, surreal narratives that are quite removed from the religious imagery we typically expect from this medium.
Beautiful. Gaudy. Elegant. Sensitive. These are not words one hears too often when discussing the subject of basketball. San Francisco based artist Victor Solomon has brought some sparkle to the sport with his series of elegant stained glass basketball boards that move the luxury lifestyle of the players onto the court. First featured on our blog last year, Solomon's "Literally Balling" series makes a connection between the glamour of being a professional athlete and the historical opulence formerly reserved for royalty.
Laura Keeble is a London based artist whose works often use unconventional materials, many with references to consumerism and the contemporary art market. Her recent sculpture series interprets familiar, commonly seen objects and global brand logos using reclaimed church stained glass: Starbucks cups, McDonalds happy meals and CCTV cameras are just a few of the objects that she has cut from original antique church windows, made fantastic and divine with this stunning, discarded material.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List