Battle of the Political Air Force Ones
by Guest Contributor Marisol LeBron, originally published at Post Pomo Nuyorican Homo
Last year Puerto Rican artist Miguel Luciano created a pair of Nike Air Force Ones with the image of Filiberto Ojeda Rios, head of the Puerto Rican Indepencence group Los Macheteros.
Filiberto was murdered by the FBI in his home. Miguel Luciano’s piece wanted to explore the way that Filiberto had been commodified as a slain revolutionary (similar to the way that Che is commodified on t-shirts) and created these sneakers. The sneakers garnered some mixed feelings (check out Raquel Z. Rivera’s amazing piece about the tensions these sneakers bring up at Reggaetonica and here).
Well now the battle of the political A1’s on!
Artist Jimm Lasser recently opened his exhibition in New York, with Obama as the theme of the exhibit. “The Obama Force One” is one of the most interesting pieces in the show, with graphics of Obama engraved onto the sole.
What do you all think? Interesting comments on the commidification of “leaders” or just plain commodity?
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of 
KuriusJurge612 wrote:
Yo I want some of those Baraka Air force ones.
Posted 03 Oct 2008 at 8:10 am ¶
coco wrote:
i think Luciano’s shoes make his point well — showing the contradiction between combining the goals of activism (social change) and consumerism (spending money).
Jimm Lasser’s Obama soles, however, are super cute. and they send a message I could impress my friends with. i totally want them.
i guess they both point out the same thing: wearing this shoe is not the work (activism); buying this shoe is not a substitute for the work.
but to understand the shoes, as either art or commodities requires the viewer to know or find out who those leaders are. In that way the artists/designers are doing their own (activist) work on us.
Posted 03 Oct 2008 at 9:17 am ¶
gatamala wrote:
I get Raquel and Willo C’s points. I can understand how it would cheapen an image (I have heard criticism on the various permutations of PR’s flag). But by the same token, there is something about sneaks (no matter what brand) that is very much counterculture, urban AND American etc…
I’ve worn shell-toes, Airs, Cortez’, Gazelles and all Pumas. What is it with “us” and shoes?
[you can’t fuck w/ those Barrys; I could see folks changing from outdoor shoes to club shoes]
Posted 03 Oct 2008 at 10:03 am ¶
KuriusJurge612 wrote:
I think there’ an interesting point about the collision between the “coolness” of historical figures and newer generations. Did youth back then find Che so “cool”? What does that say about the perception of people after they pass away by group of people with no sense of history?
Posted 03 Oct 2008 at 11:20 am ¶
jmn wrote:
As someone who doesn’t have much fashion sense (my tennies are $25 Reeboks from a sports shop), I can’t help but say that I want those Obama Force Ones!
But at the same time, is it showing disrespect by stepping on his face every time you walk in them?
Posted 03 Oct 2008 at 1:12 pm ¶
Cara wrote:
Yo….this is my grad thesis man!!!! Thanx :o)
It reminds me of the Angela Davis and Che Guevara Tees from a couple years ago.
Posted 03 Oct 2008 at 2:39 pm ¶
RobynT wrote:
I think it’s interesting that the Obama ones look like plain old shoes–well plain old Air Force Ones–when you wear them, but they’ll leave a print about Obama. Like spreading a message. It’s almost saying like, it’s not (or shouldn’t be) about flying your Obama flag to make you look good, but about actually saying something. Or am I reading too much into it? I mean that seems really significant to me that other than the sole, there’s no sign that the shoe has anything to do with Obama. (Plus I am very suspicious of folks using him to mark themselves.)
Posted 03 Oct 2008 at 8:50 pm ¶
Marisol LeBron wrote:
@ Cara,
I’d love to see some of what you’re working on. drop me a line at Post Pomo Nuyo Rican Homo.
Posted 03 Oct 2008 at 11:20 pm ¶
Mike wrote:
If it was any one else but Nike………
Posted 04 Oct 2008 at 6:12 am ¶
Marisol LeBron wrote:
Robyn T,
You should check out the comments section on the original post at PPNH, i actually alluded to that when a friend asked me if putting Obama on the sole was in fact not paying homage, but racist. I think the idea that it will leave a footprint is essential to understanding the commentary these shoes are trying to make.
Posted 04 Oct 2008 at 3:39 pm ¶
Toni wrote:
I want them too. I like the idea that his image is on the sole both as a play on words, his image on our souls, and the fact that every where you walk you leave his image like a footprint.
Posted 05 Oct 2008 at 11:36 am ¶
maude wrote:
I agree with Mike - Nike and revolution do not go together!
Posted 05 Oct 2008 at 10:08 pm ¶
lxy wrote:
The Revolution will not be commercialized!
Posted 06 Oct 2008 at 7:16 am ¶
laxstress wrote:
I totally disagree…a bit tired of the purests out there, if pop icons like Nike is what it takes to popularize positivity, then what is the problem?! Granted I have a biased view, but nonetheless, the point stands.
Also want a pair of the Obama shoes - where can I find them?!
Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 2:13 am ¶
miss a. wrote:
I don’t get it. We say that we are over the whole “one drop of black blood makes him black” theory, but yet we keep touting Obama as black when in reality he is bi-racial. Is this going to be like Koreans and Hines Ward - we embrace him because he’s done good for our community?
Posted 08 Oct 2008 at 1:15 pm ¶