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. Its historical significance has always been an important part of the project to Solomon. Stained glass has long been a symbol of power and wealth and though it might not seem obvious to most of us, the artist saw an immediate connection between today’s celebrity and monarchs of the past. For his debut exhibition in New York at Joseph Gross Gallery, opening February 25th, Solomon has expanded on the ornate medieval aesthetic onto new items like chain mail jerseys and gilded basketballs, including 6 new backboards, He spent over 100 hours on each piece, a practice originally taught to him by a group of 80 year old stained glass masters that he apprenticed under for a year. In this continuation of his “Literally Balling” project, Solomon’s exhibit re-appropriates the old meaning of lavishness in a new, culturally relevant context.
