DYLAN MORTIMER
“AIR IN THE SHOES, AIR IN THE LUNGS”
Artist Dylan Mortimer incorporates the Air Jordan 1 into his pieces, which serve as commentary on his experience with cystic fibrosis and having to undergo two double-lung transplants. We spoke to Dylan about his journey, and the relationship between scars, lungs, air, and sneakers.
Dylan Mortimer’s “Double Lung” (2017)
40"x90" Aluminum, Glitter Suspended in Resin
What was the first pair of sneakers that made you feel fly?
“The Air Jordan 5s. I saw them on sale at Foot Locker for $59 dollars and I thought, ‘If I don’t buy these now, I might never get a chance to own a pair of Jordans in my life.’ They were a size too small, but I bought them anyway and I wore them my entire fifth grade year. Physically, my feet hurt, but the feeling was like walking on air.”
Dylan Mortimer’s “AIR MAX”
45"x90" Glitter, Foam, Corrugated Plastic
What role do sneakers play in your artwork?
“It wasn’t until I was 34 that I started bringing my house into this visual conversation. I was doing lungs, bronchial branches and trees and then I did a search for “maximum air” and the Nike Air Max came up. There’s air in the shoes and I finally connected it to the air I needed. I’d been yearning to get air and it had been taken from me. The shoes became a symbol for air and breathing. They are also kind of shaped like lungs.”
Dylan Mortimer’s “CRUSH HIS HEAD"
48”x24” Cut Paper, Paint and Glitter on panel
Inspiration behind the piece, “CRUSH HIS HEAD”?
“There’s DNA in the snakes and DNA strands coming down with the shoes crushing snakes. There’s a war going on and that’s the reality with transplants. You have different DNA in your body from another person and part of your body wants to reject that because it doesn’t belong. So you’re trying to balance that out to find harmony, unity and defeat the bad stuff.”
Dylan Mortimer’s “STACKS ON STACKS ON STACKS”
49”x96”, Cut Paper, Paint and Glitter on Panel
Inspiration behind the piece, “STACKS ON STACKS ON STACKS”?
“It was this idea of stacking Air Jordans up like stacks of air, almost like piles and piles of air. I did that while I was losing lung function and having a hard time breathing. There was this desire for air and what I wanted, but I couldn’t just show you air or lungs. This is a symbol for lungs, for breath and for life. And I want more life. I want stacks on stacks on stacks.”
Dylan Mortimer’s “VIEW FROM AN AMBULANCE"
60”x96” Cut Paper, Paint and Glitter on panel
You had a 1% chance of finding a lung, and you did. How has this influenced your art?
“In every way, from the symbols to the correlations between bronchial trees and scars. But the biggest is the gratitude to even be alive at all.”