Victor Solomon, the Los Angeles by way of San Francisco and Boston artist, has been elevating the look, style, and culture of the NBA over the last five years. Literally Balling, his series of related art projects, reinterprets the everyday objects of basketball through elite techniques and materials including stained glass, silver, and crystal. Now, Solomon has released two new sculptural basketballs entitled, Literally Balling Fragment Vessel. The sculptures are 200mm molded crystal basketball forms with hand-painted gold enamel seams, filled with actual fragments from vintage basketballs to reflect the influence of the sport. Available in “Full” size and “Halftime” size, both editions are limited to 100 pieces each and are handmade to order, so expect delivery to take six to eight weeks.
Literally Balling is Victor Solomon’s ongoing exploration of the icons and totems of basketball — presented in opulent form to celebrate the sport’s evolution and omnipresence. Solomon believes that “the basketball is a vessel – a vessel for competition, a vessel for community, and for creativity.” From taking part in the 2019 StockX x YouTube NBA Finals Game 1 Watch Party by designing the “House of Highlights” moment of the year award, preparing an installation for the NBA Summer League, to reimagining the NBA conference champions’ trophies, Solomon is actively shaping and reshaping the aesthetics of the sport of basketball.
While on the subject of basketball, check out the official trailer for ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ with LeBron James.