The Southbank is one of the best places to visit in London, and one thing worth seeing in the area this month is the Adidas exhibition at Oxo Tower Wharf! This is the debut exhibition for Platform 6 who are a non-profit organisation keen on showcasing lesbian, gay and bisexual artwork. Alongside the exhibition Adidas is also celebrating the re-release of the Stan Smith tennis shoe made famous in the 70’s by an US No.1 of the same name. Twenty pairs of the plain white trainer were customised by the likes of Elton John, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell and will all be put up for auction in aid of Stockwells.
I brought a friend of mine along to the launch of this exhibition on the spur of the moment and when we were greeted by a gimp tied up in a box at the entrance (I kid you NOT) we weren’t too sure what to expect! Sure enough wandering round the vast labyrinth like rooms (via the bar lol) we were confronted by streams of deviant sculptures, paintings and photographs and everything challenged your morality, tickled your fears – and really provoked your base human emotions. Each room was lit in a dark moody way that complimented the art which enhanced all you felt, and it was a relief to get to get up to the light and airy top floor where the main attractions – pimped out #StanSmiths – were on display.
The highlights of the exhibition for me were seeing the work of Layla Lyons (real skill), if I had to bid for one of the customised Original Adidas Stan Smiths I’d have to controversially go for DNA Factory’s effort. Although their work didn’t really sit that well with me throughout the exhibition their Stan Smiths stood heel and toe above the rest!
By Straight Alphas
