A few weeks ago, NBA superstar, Kevin Durant, visited Manila for a weekend. Nike brought out the Golden State Warrior to meet his Filipino fans, train young basketball players and launch his newest footwear model locally, the KD 11. Through this event, the local Nike team also wanted to give him the warmest welcome through his love for art. This led to working with us to partner with five artists who could express different facets of Durant’s journey as an NBA player.
We invited three graphic artists and two muralists to create the pieces. See their works below.
Kris Abrigo’s work has gained much visibility over the years from creating murals for commercial and residential spaces, crafting design sculptures as collaborations with furniture and lifestyle shops, live art performances for music and art festivals, local art fairs and international mural festivals. In his paintings, Abrigo hopes to foster an inviting environment with his bubbly geometric forms and fun color palettes, rendered in both pastel and bright colors.
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A big-time NBA and basketball fan, Melvin Rodas incorporates his passion for sports into his graphic design and illustration works. Through this, he has worked with clients like, Vans, Volcom, Capcom, Nintendo, NFL, US NCAA, WWE, Conor Mcgregor, Bleacher Report, and more. Melvin is an illustrator and designer driven by sports and love for creating art – plus he’s a pass first type point guard.
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Ivan Grasparin is a 21 year old art student from Manila that has a passion for storytelling. He enjoys illustrating because it can move people without using words. When he’s not sketching something up, you can find him dancing in a studio, or at least trying to. He has worked with various media titles such as TEAM, PURVEYR and Youngstar.
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More known as a street and mural artist, Kookoo Ramos’ works can be seen in a lot of walls in Manila and outside the city. She’s also an active member of the art collective Pilipinas Street Plan. Her murals, which mostly depict women, embody the urban lifestyle of the country with a touch of feminine sensibilities. Kookoo started creating street art-graffiti since 2009 and she has been active in collaborative and commissioned projects since 2010.
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A Cebu-based graphic designer, illustrator and art director who’s more known for his works focused on sneakers and streetwear. Although at the start, Chad Manzo has been making art and design for music – bands, events, and the like. From there Chad, moved to streetwear and sneakers where he found himself being featured by global media brands such as Hypebeast, Highsnobiety and Sneaker Freaker Magazine.
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Kevin Durant expressed his appreciation and awe when he saw the pieces. The Nike team even extended their gratitude to the five artists who shared their talent for the event. Below are a few photos courtesy of Nike, where Durant signs the pieces and a photo showing the press event stage where he first sees the artworks.
