{"id":6493,"date":"2019-06-11T11:29:47","date_gmt":"2019-06-11T09:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/52.30.207.235\/abstract-affection-who-is-futura\/"},"modified":"2019-06-11T11:29:47","modified_gmt":"2019-06-11T09:29:47","slug":"abstract-affection-who-is-futura","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/abstract-affection-who-is-futura\/","title":{"rendered":"Abstract Affection: Who is Futura?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to the world of streetwear, few artists, if any, can rival the impact left by Futura. In a career spanning more than four decades, the New York-based graffiti legend can be linked to almost all significant moments of streetwear \u2013 in one capacity or another. But, despite building an iconic reputation off his signature atom and \u2018Pointman\u2019 motifs, which have graced everything from tees to Dunk SBs<\/a>, Futura is far more than a brand. He is an out-of-the-box thinker that has forever challenged convention across a variety of disciplines. In today\u2019s piece, we\u2019re diving in deep to explore the man, the myth, the legend.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Futura\" Futura<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

In the Navy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Futura\u2019s story begins in New York City in 1955, where he was born under his real name Leonard McGurr. Upon completing his schooling, Leonard, who would come to be known as \u2018Lenny\u2019 to his friends, would join the US Navy as an aviation machinist\u2019s mate and be deployed on the USS Constellation. He would spend four years in the navy, from 1975-79, travelling the world aboard the Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier, including a deployment to Southeast Asia in 1977.<\/p>\n

With his service completed in 1979, Futura moved back to NYC, which reignited his passion for graffiti. It wasn\u2019t long before his handle \u2013 which featured the extension \u20182000\u2019 at the time as a sly nod to Stanley Kubrick\u2019s 2001: A Space Odyssey<\/em> \u2013 began to appear throughout the city\u2019s subways and streets.<\/p>\n

\"Pointman<\/p>\n

Breakthrough<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Although much had changed in the graf scene in Futura\u2019s absence during his navy years, it didn\u2019t take long for him to grow tired of conventional constraints. In 1980, he decided to create his self-proclaimed magnum opus, the so-called \u2018Break Train\u2019, as a send off to the days of lurking trainyards and subway systems to spread his art. The \u2018Break Train\u2019 was a full-car work like nothing before it. It did away with the limitations of lettering and exposed the world to what we now know as \u2018abstract graffiti\u2019. It was this work that well and truly made Futura\u2019s name known throughout the community, both locally and globally, while simultaneously broadening the definition of graffiti.<\/p>\n

\"Pointman\" Pointman<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There are a number of signature symbols that have come to define Futura\u2019s work. These include his iconic freehand atoms, inspired by the atomic-era \u2018Future\u2019 brand cleaning product from which he took his name, and his sinister \u2018Pointman\u2019 creations, which were Futura\u2019s own interpretation of H.R. Giger\u2019s Xenomorph creature from the Alien<\/i> movies. Cranes are another common element in Futura\u2019s work, inspired by a massive cluster of cranes he encountered on a visit to France in the early 80s.\u00a0As distinctive as the symbols themselves are, so too is the way in which they are achieved. Futura literally turned graffiti convention on its head, by inverting the spray can to allow him control the paint flow and produce intricate line work. Despite the seemingly haphazard nature of creation it suggests, Futura\u2019s work is produced with the utmost precision.<\/p>\n

Creative Contemporaries & Collaborations<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With an artistic career spanning four decades, Futura has managed to build up an impressive list of contemporaries that he has worked with, or otherwise alongside of. Exposed to the melting pot of creativity in downtown NYC in the late 70s and early 80s, Futura mingled with the likes of Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf, Fab 5 Freddy and Eric Haze. His most famous artistic relationship, however, is undoubtedly with fellow NYC graf artist Stash. The two have remained close friends since the mid 80s and have united on a number of projects in that time, including the art exhibition \u2018Command Z\u2019 and a clothing line dubbed Project Dragon.<\/p>\n

\"Nike<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s not only visual creatives that Futura has collaborated with. In the early 80s, Futura connected with legendary English rock band The Clash, creating the sleeve design for their \u2018This is Radio Clash\u2019 vinyl single and touring with them during the release of Combat Rock<\/i> to create live works on stage during their performances. They would even collaborate musically on more than one occasion, most memorably on an autobiographical track recounting Futura\u2019s escapades. Keeping with the music theme, Futura would later work closely with Mo\u2019Wax founder James Lavelle to create artwork for a number of the label\u2019s albums, including, most famously, for Lavelle\u2019s own project, UNKLE. The music group\u2019s debut album, Psyence Fiction<\/em>, memorably featured a duo of \u2018Pointmen\u2019 front and centre. Lavelle would later repurpose Futura\u2019s artwork for UNKLE\u2019s Nike SB<\/a> Dunk High collaboration during the line\u2019s Pink Box era.<\/p>\n

Futura: From Street Art to Streetwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Futura is considered one of the most significant figures in street art, but his impact on the world of streetwear is equally as profound. Nike<\/a> called\u00a0upon his talents when they first began to experiment with collaboration, helping to pave the way for the modern sneaker scene. He has since built up an impressive portfolio of Nike collabs, ranging from Blazers to Air Force 1s to Dunk SBs. He has also collaborated with shoes for the likes of Clarks and Converse<\/a>. Stepping outside footwear, Futura has created expansive collab collections with A Bathing Ape, G-SHOCK, Maharishi<\/a> and Medicom Toy. Futura even made a surprise appearance during the reveal of Virgil Abloh\u2019s AW19 Louis Vuitton collection in Paris, creating works live on the show\u2019s streetscape backdrop. Could a collaboration be in the works? Our fingers are crossed!<\/p>\n

\"Medicom<\/p>\n

Funnily enough, what might just be Futura\u2019s most significant contribution to the world of streetwear \u2013 and fashion as a whole \u2013 is one of his least well known: his input in the creation of Supreme\u2019s legendary box logo, which ironically uses the font \u2018Futura\u2019. Supreme and Futura have collaborated on a number of releases since the store\u2019s establishment, including a remix of the box logo using Futura\u2019s iconic hand script and a homage to Martin Scorsese\u2019s acclaimed mobster flick Goodfellas<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Beyond collaboration, Futura also established his own clothing line Futura Laboratories, which originally included a flagship store in Fukuoka, Japan. After lying dormant for much of the past decade, the brand has finally made its long-awaited comeback, proving that, even at the ripe old age of 63, Futura isn\u2019t showing any signs of slowing down \u2013 and we couldn\u2019t be happier for that fact! He\u2019s one of a kind and has unquestionably helped to shape the culture that we embrace today in so many ways. We can\u2019t all have an original Futura artwork on our walls, but we can all relish in his impact.<\/p>\n

\n

Foot District was recently on location in Singapore for the launch of CONSTELLATION: Futura\u2019s debut solo exhibition in Southeast Asia. The exhibition, presented by The Culture Story, featured a collection of 30 all-new works produced during a two-week long residency. Be sure to check out The Culture Story\u2019s Instagram page<\/a> to check out Futura\u2019s work created specially for the exhibition, as well as an impressive recap of his career and some insightful new interviews.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it comes to the world of streetwear, few artists, if any, can rival the impact left by Futura. In a career spanning more than four decades, the New York-based<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22209,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,63],"tags":[],"powerkit_post_featured":[4,7,5,6,8],"class_list":{"0":"post-6493","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-noticias"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6493\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6493"},{"taxonomy":"powerkit_post_featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/powerkit_post_featured?post=6493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}