Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Artist “Filfury” Makes Dynamic Sculptures out of His Sneakers

Eagles, butterflies, beetles, skulls and human hearts are just a few of the things that British artist Phil Robson, aka "Filfury" has shaped using sneaker parts. The self-described 90s child defines his work as a "a battle of pop culture vs nature", turning his obsession with sneakers, hip hop culture, and our own over-consumption of mass products into an unlikely source material.

Eagles, butterflies, beetles, skulls and human hearts are just a few of the things that British artist Phil Robson, aka “Filfury” has shaped using sneaker parts. The self-described 90s child defines his work as a “a battle of pop culture vs nature”, turning his obsession with sneakers, hip hop culture, and our own over-consumption of mass products into an unlikely source material. We first saw his work at Scope Miami Beach this month, an incredible “All Star Eagle”, featuring hardy canvas for feathers and soft laces as tough talons, but we weren’t the first to take notice. The artist has long received recognition from major companies like Nike and Reebok to design imaginative pieces for their campaigns. Sneakers are not the artist’s only materials, however. Filfury has also built his sculptures out of electronics like stereo parts and Casio watches, where bold and sharp plastics and ticking gears are translated into delicate details like a beetle’s wings and antennae. By the time Filfury is finished cutting and rearranging everything from metal grommets, rubber soles, and shoe tongues, only traces of the original object is left in each whimsical piece.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Based in Lisbon, Portugal, Bordalo II creates resourceful assemblages out of the junk he collects in his city's streets. Using a bit of spray paint, the artist configures the found objects into playful animal portraits. His street art work hybridizes muralism and sculpture. A portrait of an owl conceals layers of scrap metal; a painting of an apple contains bent bicycle tires, cans, wood and cardboard. Bordalo II's art brings whimsical visions to Lisbon's streets and invites viewers to imagine creative ways to reuse their discarded items.
Life and death are major themes explored through the work of Claire Morgan, a U.K.-based artist who uses taxidermy and invisible wire to create objects that express both ideas. The result is a moment in time, one that conveys the beauty of the animal, its fragility, and our own strained relationship with nature. In a statement, Morgan says, “Through my work, I am looking at everyday life and death; and the ideas of entertainment, consumption, meaninglessness and loneliness are a part of that.”
At first, Colorado based artist Courtney Mattison, who describes herself as a visual learner, began sculpting her elaborate works inspired by sea creatures as a better way of understanding them. But over time, her love and admiration for these organisms evolved into a message about their well being and preservation. Previously featured here on our blog, Mattison hopes that her ceramic sculptures and installations, based on her own photographs of different organisms living in coral reefs, will inspire others to appreciate the beauty of the ocean as she does.
Los Angeles-based Kiel Johnson has created suits, miniature cityscapes, and cameras with cardboard. Yet, one of his most recent sculptures emulates something even more unexpected: an aircraft. Johnson was featured way back in Hi-Fructose Vol. 14, and in 2013, we featured his crowdsourced cardboard robots.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List