Thomias Radin Auto portrait: for real for real, 2025

This work continues Thomias Radin’s exploration of sneakers as cultural icons, rooted in his early practice of customizing leather shoes in Rennes (2013–16). At its center is the Nike Air Force One, a shoe that since 1982 has embodied not just style, but history, identity, and socio-economic struggle.

By using a pair purchased in Sharjah’s Central Souk – likely a counterfeit – Radin highlights the paradox of an object simultaneously exalted and mass-produced. The sculpture questions authenticity, power, and consumption: symbols of success and status coexist with underground economies, counterfeits, and global manufacturing networks, particularly China’s role as a production hub.

Through this layering, Radin connects fashion to broader geopolitical and diasporic narratives, especially those shaped by his Guadeloupean heritage. The monochrome tones reflect collective identity in urban culture while exposing the tensions of class and belonging.

The marble base recalls patterns from his paintings, heightening the work’s dreamlike presence, while the giant domino references both Caribbean heritage and playful imagination. Inside it, a cloudy landscape nods to Caspar David Friedrich’s Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, situating the piece between contemporary identity politics and the long tradition of art history.