With faux fashion pop-up, artists make a Wemby statement
Think that billboard of Spurs star Victor Wembanyama in Louis Vuitton makes a statement? Check out the work of Wemby-lv art at the corner of West Lambert and South Flores streets.
The faux South Side corner shop is the work of San Antonio artists Andy Benadvides (@andyb1906) and Chris Montoya (@artista_montoya), who transformed the empty little structure into a fake Louis Vuitton pop-up store with an Lv-clad Wembanyama on the front door.
“At it again, baby! At it again,” said Benavides, who made an even-larger-than-life statement last year with the Spurs “Por Vida” prayer candle mural downtown.
Benavides said he had been itching to do something with the
small building off South Flores Street, which he noted is owned by Kate Ruckman with the Conservation Society of San Antonio.
When he found out about the Wembanyama billboard, inspiration struck to transform the space into a spoof of Prada Marfa, the famous Elmgreen & Dragset sculptural piece of a Prada store on U.S. 90, a little more than a mile outside Valentine.
“It’s an even lower-brow version of the Prada,” Benavides said with a laugh.
Ruckman gave Benavides the go-ahead to make his vision a reality. Benavides then contacted Montoya to paint the design, which he completed in a handful of hours one night last week.
The result is a bold white structure with the Louis Vuitton name and signature initials, and featuring a cropped shot of
Wembanyama popping the hoodie of his Louis Vuitton Damoflage Western Cut Puffer Jacket.
“And, sure enough, it’s gone nuts,” Benavides said, noting he’s seen hashtagged pics of people and passersby posing for photos outside the structure.
Benavides likened the concept to the work of Claes Oldenburg, the late Swedish-born American sculptor who often crafted giant replicas of everyday objects.
As for how big his and Montoya’s piece will get in terms of exposure, Benavides predicted the South Side work could achieve national and even international fame.
“At the end of the day it’s always about what kind of human experience we can create for people,” he said. “I think that’s what art does anyway.”