MOLLY WANG

My art highlights the contributions of Chinese culture through sneaker designs and calligraphy. Both express a way of exploring beliefs. To date, I have primarily been trained in traditional Chinese ideographs, in particular the formal or printed style. I also have a passion for shoes, in particular the idea of collecting and painting sneakers. Initially, I created drawings of the design I hydro-dipped of the sneaker.

Artists who inspired me include Edison Chen, a Nike sneaker designer who combined his creativity with Chinese culture. CLOT x Air Jordan 1 Mid 'Fearless' is the most significant sneaker he has ever made. The process of creating hydro-dipped designs is quite time-consuming. First, the white cloth covering the surface of the shoe must be prepared by taping to protect the areas you will not paint, and using nail polish on those you will (to help the paint adhere more easily). Once you dip the white cloth, there will be a golden pattern showing up on the shoe. His design includes an old Chinese coin on the back of the shoe that shows a lot of his knowledge and understanding. 

Eric Avar is also a Nike sneaker designer, he mainly focuses on training sneakers. He uses different materials and clean designs in order to make the sneaker more comfortable and this helps his shoes stand out more. Tinker Hatfield is a designer inspired by elements in life and put those elements on his sneaker designs. I learned from him how to use the little details in my life. 

My biggest challenge is getting the materials.  Initial attempts to do the hydro-dipping technique were filled with difficulties, both in getting the paint to mix attractively, and also the rate and approach to immersing the materials into the paint. My biggest success is creating an original design that you won’t find online.

My design features cranes flying in the direction of "福" which means good luck. The vast sea under them are the unknowns that are waiting for us to find out. Using simple ideas to promote meaningful terms requires a high understanding of the culture.