The other day I came across this intriguing picture of Nike boxes mashed up with Warholian Brillo boxes with no accompanying explanation. They were so well executed that it seemed like they might be legit, a new trendy way that Nike has decided to ship their precious shoes, but then I realized that the size of the box is all wrong and so it must be a fake of some kind. The truth lies somewhere in between.
 

 
In Portland there are occasional Nike-themed art exhibitions, almost certainly with approval and funding by the indomitable Oregon sports apparel company itself. The shows are done under the banner “Nike Graphic Studio,” and you can see some of the artworks—all of them Nike-related, but some more obliquely than others—on this Tumblr.

This work is called “Keep It Clean,” and it was (rather excellently) executed by Oregon-based artist Lonny Hurley, who in addition to various art projects also has done gig posters for the Melvins, Built to Spill, Bob Dylan, Mudhoney, and the Electric Six. The September 2011 exhibition in which it appeared was called Nike Graphic Studio 1.0 (there has since been a 2.0 and a 3.0), and it was held at the Compound Gallery in Portland.
 
Here’s a Warhol Brillo box for comparison (Warhol did these in several different ways, but this one is the one Hurley was seeking to imitate):

 
If you’re so inclined, you can buy one of these boxes from Compound Gallery for $75.

Here’s a brief video about the Nike Graphic Studio 2.0 show. “Keep It Clean” doesn’t appear in it, but other works from Nike Graphic Studio 1.0 do appear in it, so I don’t know what’s up with that.

 
via WXN&MLKN