KEANmag
31
“The hard es t p artw as c om m iting .”
Three years ago, Matt Senna ’07 was a professional graphic designer,
grinding out projects from 9 to 5 at a big agency, while sneaking in time
on the side for his own art, in an effort to keep his work fresh and honest.
When he chose to leave the security of that industry job to focus on his
fine art independently, he knew it would be a difficult move; one that
might be met with rejection, or even worse for an artist, with silence.
Last February, however, when hip-hop legend Common gave Senna’s
work a shout-out on national television, any fear of rejection or silence
was immediately quelled.
Senna had just returned home to Los Angeles from a business trip, when
a video message came in from a friend. The clip was from the previous
night’s broadcast of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, during the host’s post-Oscars
interview with Common, the hip-hop luminary and winner of the 2015
Academy Award for Best Original Song. During that interview, Kimmel
showed a photo of the rapper holding up a gleaming sneaker, and
grinning ear-to-ear. It was a solid gold Air Jordan I, and had been gifted
to him the night before the Oscars.
“That’s a gold Jordan.” Common explained to Kimmel, “It’s a piece of
art. It was a gift from my manager... and the artist’s name is Matt Senna.”
Kimmel chuckled. “Is that a wearable shoe, or no?” “No,” he replied. “It’s
for the art’s sake.”
In that moment, Senna transformed from corporate advertising
professional to celebrity pop artist; and he never looked back.
Senna’s grandfather, Charles, was a major influence in his life throughout
childhood; teaching him to play baseball, and instilling an appreciation of
character and connection with others. After Charles passed away, a pair of
his well-worn Converse sneakers stayed with Senna; a special keepsake,
and a gentle reminder of the times he shared with his grandfather.
As he developed as an artist, Senna began to see his grandfather’s sneakers
as more than just a memento - they became an inspiration. “Something
as simple as a shoe can have so much meaning, and represent something
so much bigger. They sparked the idea to use sneakers as a means of
representation and communication.”
Those specific sneakers, Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars, are a universal
symbol of the time period when fashion and athletics first coalesced
into “cool.” It was at that juncture - where art, style, and sport converged
- that Senna found the inspiration for “Higher Learning,” his series of
bronzed and gilded Nike “Air Jordan” sneakers, which has since become
one of the most coveted collections of pop art in the world. For both
“sneakerheads” and hip-hop aficionados, the series is a tribute to one
of the most iconic brands in modern history. And for the star athletes
and music superstars that have added the sneakers to their personal
collections, they are a status symbol; a mark of success, glory, wealth,
and as Senna puts it, “greatness.”
Senna’s bronze Air Jordan’s on display outside the Pavelló Olímpic de Badalona, the arena in Barcelona, Spain, where the “Dream Team” won Olympic gold.
