Shoeuzi x J-Ldn
Some may call me a nut. Others may call me a hypebeast. Nevertheless, I love rare collectible stuff. Especially toys. Well, I came across something that quenches my thirst. It’s the Shoeuzi by UK-born artist Jack London a.k.a. J-Ldn. J-Ldn now calls Stockholm, Sweden home and he produces some of the hardest collectibles that are a fusion of various cultures. The official Shoeuzi website explains the artist:
His work mirrors relationships between cultures and objects, that draws often emotional and though-provoking reactions from the viewer. Focusing on street and pop culture J-Ldn currently uses resin and ceramic to bring his 2D designs to life.
The Shoeuzi is a limited resin art collectible in the shape of an uzi submachine gun donning the colorways of various popular sneakers. The Shoeuzi project began in 2018 and will be continuing for the foreseeable future (once the current international pandemic is through, no doubt). According to J-Ldn, it is, “A metaphoric art series for the control commercial brands have on consumers.”
The site further details the focus of the project:
Resale value, due to limited quantities and high desirability, coerces urban street culture into crime and quandering. Meanwhile, multimillion-dollar underground operations produce replicas for a fraction of the cost.
Check out some of the Shoeuzi Project models below (between 50-150 pieces each):
Shoeuzi: “OW 97”
Shoeuzi: “OW AJ1”
Shoeuzi: “Wotherspoon”
Shoeuzi: “AM1 P”
Shoeuzi: “OW VPRMX”
Shoeuzi: “No Future”
Shoeuzi: “Nice Day”
Shoeuzi: “Human”
Shoeuzi: “There Is No God”
Shoeuzi: “Hey Presto”
Shoeuzi: “350”
Shoeuzi: “Wotherspoon v2”
J-Ldn also produced an Artist Series of Shoeuzis. While the regular Shoeuzi models are 75% the size of a Micro Uzi, the Artist Series in 100% scale. In 2018, he dropped the We Are Not Friends line, which is a play on KAWS’ popular “BFF” figures in blue (edition of 50), black (edition of 50) and pink (edition of 100). It is described below:
We Are Not Friends is a satirical parody of the character ‘BFF’ from the artist KAWS. Hand casted in polyresin and painted in enamel the piece is intended to portray the power and control commercialization of art has on consumers in street culture.
Shoeuzi: “We Are Not Friends (Blue)”
Shoeuzi: “We Are Not Friends (Black)”
Shoeuzi: “We Are Not Friends (Pink)”
Also part of the Artist Series is the Inferior Shoeuzi which flips the iconic Supreme logo:
Shoeuzi: “Inferior”
Alas, all of the Shoeuzis listed on the site are sold out. They were being sold for between around $100 and $160 brand new for the Shoeuzi Project models and between $153 and $257 for the Artist Series models. They are being resold on Ebay, though. They range between $1500 for the We Are Not Friends bundle (all three colors; there’s a blue one for $500) to $140 for the Human Race model. IDK. If you’re a nutcase like me, you may be inclined to purchase something such as this. I’m not a gun nut, but these appeal to me. There are so many different elements of the culture(s) I grew up on molded into some beautiful pieces.
Keep up with new Shoeuzi drops on the official website: shoeuzi.com. You can also follow @shoeuzi on Instagram
