Katharine J. Wright

Project Curator, organized in conjunction with the American Federation of Arts. Guest Curator Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator at Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada.

The American Federation of Arts is pleased to announce Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks. Building on the highly successful collaboration for the show Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture (2015–2017), the Bata Shoe Museum and the American Federation of Arts are collaborating again on a new groundbreaking exhibition that explores the intersection between design innovation and technological advancements in footwear.

Future Now features around sixty futuristic designs from the Bata Shoe Museum’s holdings as well as loans from prominent institutions, collectors, designers, and inventors. It explores how cutting-edge technologies, unexpected materials, and new ideas are transforming footwear today. The exhibition includes digitally designed and 3D-printed shoes, sneakers made from mushroom leather and reclaimed ocean plastics, and footwear created for the metaverse.

In the nineteenth century, shoemaking in the West was transformed from an artisanal craft into an industry driven by the invention of new methods and materials. The mass production of footwear made a variety of shoes accessible and affordable, and footwear consumption began to rise. However, industrialization also introduced new limitations: feet suddenly had to fit into predetermined sizes, and consumer choice was limited to the styles and colors selected by manufacturers. Industrialization led to ever-increasing levels of exploitation and waste as production and consumption grew. Today, many shoe designers and companies are grappling with this history. And while innovation remains at the forefront of the industry, the goals have begun to shift.

The footwear included in the exhibition is designed to address industrial-age problems and capitalize on postindustrial possibilities. The project features designers and brands including Salehe Bembury, Steven Smith, RTFKT, Mr. Bailey, Zaha Hadid, Nike ISPA, Safa Şahin, EKTO VR, Saysh, Benoit Méléard, SCRY, and many more.