9/28/2025
Mathew Zurita is my classmate and a student working towards his BFA. He has a love for sneakers and sneaker photography. While many dismiss sneakers as nothing more than tools to keep our feet safe while walking, Matthew’s photography prompts the average viewer to consider not just the function of these items, but also their beauty, thought, and design. His work challenges and invites the viewer to look past the functionality and to see the artistry of these shoes. He says that the focus is to mimic current modern advertising practices about shoes and the industry. I think his talents and artistry really shine through in editing, staging, and connection to himself outside of his passion for shoes.
These three photographs, which share their name with the subject, each show shoes from Zurita's personal collection, used but loved. They are all digital images of the photographs staged and edited by Zurita.
His piece Air Jordan 3 White Cements ‘reimagined, displaying its namesake, the white pair of sneakers with beige accents on the jet black background. The spotlight is on this pair of sneakers, which tells us that there is something to look at. The background gives us a quiet moment to see and appreciate not only his staging, but the design of the Jordans. The nature of the shoe, the designers who made them are not the only important parts of his work. While his focus is on the staging and advertising quality of these shoes, I argue that Zurita is an artist, despite his self-label as “just a photographer.” The wear on these shoes (as well as the other photographed shoes) shows a story. How a big-name company, basketball players, designers, trickle down, are purchased, handed off from one person to another. While they are in great shape, the slight creasing, color differences, and aging on the shoes tell their story, and part of Zurita's story before he put them in front of the camera. He says it himself, maybe without realizing, “My sneaker collection brings me a combination of self-expression, personal connection to the past, comfort, and community, often reflecting my evolving identity and style while serving as a form of artistic appreciation and investment.” These works demonstrate this perfectly.
The next image, “Air Jordan 1 Chicago,” Also displaying its namesake, is one of the most iconic pairs of Jordans and also of Zurita's collection. These shoes are typically recognized for their red, black, and white coloring and design. The photo itself shares the stark black background of the Air Jordan 3 White Cements ‘reimagined, making them work together in a series. I would argue that this image doesn't do as good a job at displaying these shoes for the purpose of reselling as Zurita puts a lot of emphasis on, but the image makes a beautiful piece of artwork. The skill and time put into the effects on the shoe, the motion, and contrast create a wonderful dialogue between the viewer and the artist. It is eye-catching and does what Zurita wants to do in making shoes important to communities outside of simply sneakerheads. ,”... grabbing the audience's attention, which is the most important thing because that's how advertising works.” That is very successful in this piece and the last one, but not so much in the “Air Jordan 3 White Cements ‘reimagined, only because the composition has less movement than the last two.
Mathew Zurita is my classmate and a student working towards his BFA. He has a love for sneakers and sneaker photography. While many dismiss sneakers as nothing more than tools to keep our feet safe while walking, Matthew’s photography prompts the average viewer to consider not just the function of these items, but also their beauty, thought, and design. His work challenges and invites the viewer to look past the functionality and to see the artistry of these shoes. He says that the focus is to mimic current modern advertising practices about shoes and the industry. I think his talents and artistry really shine through in editing, staging, and connection to himself outside of his passion for shoes.
These three photographs, which share their name with the subject, each show shoes from Zurita's personal collection, used but loved. They are all digital images of the photographs staged and edited by Zurita.
His piece Air Jordan 3 White Cements ‘reimagined, displaying its namesake, the white pair of sneakers with beige accents on the jet black background. The spotlight is on this pair of sneakers, which tells us that there is something to look at. The background gives us a quiet moment to see and appreciate not only his staging, but the design of the Jordans. The nature of the shoe, the designers who made them are not the only important parts of his work. While his focus is on the staging and advertising quality of these shoes, I argue that Zurita is an artist, despite his self-label as “just a photographer.” The wear on these shoes (as well as the other photographed shoes) shows a story. How a big-name company, basketball players, designers, trickle down, are purchased, handed off from one person to another. While they are in great shape, the slight creasing, color differences, and aging on the shoes tell their story, and part of Zurita's story before he put them in front of the camera. He says it himself, maybe without realizing, “My sneaker collection brings me a combination of self-expression, personal connection to the past, comfort, and community, often reflecting my evolving identity and style while serving as a form of artistic appreciation and investment.” These works demonstrate this perfectly.
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Air Jordan 3 White Cements Reimagined Mathew Zurita 2025 |
The next image, “Air Jordan 1 Chicago,” Also displaying its namesake, is one of the most iconic pairs of Jordans and also of Zurita's collection. These shoes are typically recognized for their red, black, and white coloring and design. The photo itself shares the stark black background of the Air Jordan 3 White Cements ‘reimagined, making them work together in a series. I would argue that this image doesn't do as good a job at displaying these shoes for the purpose of reselling as Zurita puts a lot of emphasis on, but the image makes a beautiful piece of artwork. The skill and time put into the effects on the shoe, the motion, and contrast create a wonderful dialogue between the viewer and the artist. It is eye-catching and does what Zurita wants to do in making shoes important to communities outside of simply sneakerheads. ,”... grabbing the audience's attention, which is the most important thing because that's how advertising works.” That is very successful in this piece and the last one, but not so much in the “Air Jordan 3 White Cements ‘reimagined, only because the composition has less movement than the last two.
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Air Jordan 1 Chicago Mathew Zurita 2025 |
The “Air Jordan 1 'Game royal”, the blue, white, and black shoes, mimicking the Chicago's, demonstrate a key point in Zurita’s work. They reference the Chicago's, switching the red for royal blue, for this Zurita also pays homage to the Chicago's, making the background red to match the original's color. The shoes have their own continuity followed by the original designers; this part of the story is key to Zurita’s focus. The very slight wear on the back of the sole, and the slight creases in the front and back of the shoe, also show Mathew's story. The shoes story. They have seen movement, pavement, tile, hardwood, laminate, etc. These aren't straight from the factory; they are loved and well taken care of, with just a little glimpse into the life of the shoe.
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| Air Jordan 1 'Game royal' Mathew Zurita 2025 |
Mathew says he has no plans to design or develop his own shoes, however, instead improving himself as a photographer and sharing love for the shoes that are out there. They succeed not only as staged product images but also as art that questions how we assign value to everyday objects. In this way, Zurita’s photographs share ground with artists like Andy Warhol, who transformed consumer goods into cultural icons and Barbara Kruger, who reframed advertising’s visual language to critique it. His contribution is subtler but no less significant: elevating sneakers into a space of reflection and art.
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Campbells Soup Cans Andy Warhol 1962 |
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Untitled (Never Perfect Enough) Barbara Kruger 2020 |
And to end, a quote from Mathew, “I would only claim myself to be just a photographer… [b]ut if people want to claim me as an artist, I do not mind it at all. “
Mathew, I would absolutely claim you to be an artist.
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