Chrys Seawood’s monumental installation commands the room. Worn basketball sneakers, milk crates, zip ties, and basketballs rise into a towering sculptural form that rewards slow, circling attention — the kind of looking that reveals something new each time around. The uneven stacks recall the improvised basketball hoops of urban spaces; the exposed zip ties speak to the ingenuity of communities long practiced in making the most of limited means. Looping vintage sneaker commercials thread through the work, surfacing the tension between street culture and its absorption into the mainstream. The sneakers themselves carry stories — some autographed after every game a player won, others donated by DC basketball legend Lonnie Harrell, inscribed with his court aliases and personal mantras. Hidden throughout like Easter eggs: iconic shoes and basketballs waiting to be found by those who look closely enough.
Evan Ross’s photographs offer an intimate counterpoint. Drawing on his years in the sneaker industry and the visual language of e-commerce product photography, Ross turns the camera on his own personally-worn shoes: Air Foamposite Eggplants, “Bred” Jordan 4s, “Neon” Air Max 95 and, Big Bubble Neons. Inverted compositions and tight crops slow the gaze, transforming yellowing, creasing, decaying sneakers into relics — not ruins.
Installed sequentially like an unboxing and a timeline at once, Ross’s images make visible a personal and cultural history of iconic colorways and the communities who gave them meaning.
front & back-ish views of “𝙐𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙙,” 2026
sneakers, milkcrates, zipties, basketballs, TV with looping vintage sneaker commercials
18’7 x 6’1 x 13’3 ft
On view until March 28th at @chelamitchellgallery
📸: @shaughncooper
Do you know ball? Come test your sneaker knowledge by exploring some of the hidden meanings in my latest installation. Don’t know ball? I made a beginner friendly scavenger hunt. SWIPE FOR CLUES. 🤞🏽
1. ???
2. Nike Hare Jordan commercial (1993)
3. Pan-African Flag
4. Reebok Question Commercial for Allen Iverson(1997)
5. ???
6. Nike Air Command Force Commercial for David Robinson (1991)
7. DC Legend Lonnie Harrell @theprimeobjective
8. Incognito
𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣’ 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙛 w/ @er_r3 on view until March 28 at @chelamitchellgallery ⭐️
Open Tues-Sun 11-6pm
1325 5th St NE, DC Suite C (next to Chi Pani Restaurant)
#sneakerculture #installationart #washingtondc
BTS of Chrys Seawood’s newest installation. 𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣’ 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙛 w/ @er_r3 on view at @chelamitchellgallery . Come learn more about my creative process & techniques at the artist talk on March 28. 2-4 pm. ⭐️
1325 5th St NE Suite C (next to Chai Pani restaurant)
filmed & edited by Siona (@see.oh.nah )
#washingtondc #installationart
We’ve got some exciting programming lined up for our current exhibition, Livin’ Proof:
March 26
Air Max Day
12 - 6 pm
Friends and family activations featuring coloring sessions with Evan Ross (design your own Air Max colorway) and a scavenger hunt uncovering hidden meanings in Chrys Seawood’s sculpture.
March 27
“Sole Cycle” Panel Discussion
6 - 8 pm
Join @er_r3 and fellow footwear aficionados @thefuturemogul , @dontchargeabdul , @a_k_c , and @ianeyecan for a conversation on the evolution of sneaker culture.
March 28
𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸: 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀
𝟮-𝟰 𝗽𝗺
Join artists Evan Ross and Chrys Seawood as they discuss their artistic process, material choices, and meanings behind their work. They’ll share their collaborative process and how they turned personal and cultural memories into art.
𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
𝟰 - 𝟲 𝗽𝗺
Join artists Chrys and Evan to celebrate the closeout of Livin’ Proof.
Hope to see you next week!
Chela Mitchell Gallery @chelamitchellgallery presents Livin’ Proof, on view through Saturday, March 28.
The exhibition unites Chrys Seawood’s @chrys.seawood monumental installation and Evan Ross’s @er_r3 large-scale photographs to explore sneaker culture at a moment of maturity, presenting sneakers as memory objects rooted in lived experience.
📸 Photo (1) by Justin Clifford @twinbehindthelens + (2-4) by Shaughn Cooper @shaughncooper
WE’RE BACK.
Please join us for our first exhibition of the year, a two-artist presentation featuring works by Chrys Seawood and Evan Ross.
Opening Reception
Thursday, March 5
6–8 PM
1325 5th Street, NE, Suite C
Washington, D.c. 20002
Thank you @washingtoncitypaper for the thoughtful write-up on our latest exhibition . We are grateful to be seen, supported, and in conversation with the city we love.
