Barnaby Smith is a writer, editor, critic, poet and musician based on Darug and Gundungurra Country/the Blue Mountains. His writing about art has appeared in Art Guide Australia, Art Collector, Art + Australia, Art Almanac, Openbook, The Quietus and others, and he has written about music, literature and film for Rolling Stone, The Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Book Review,Metro, The Guardian and more. His book in the 33 1/3 Oceania series on classic pop albums was published in July 2025, and he is a PhD candidate at Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Unboxing the cultural impact of sneakers
Sneakers are a cultural phenomenon made up of paradoxes. Some see them as an accessible and inclusive force in fashion that serve as an outlet of self-expression for many; yet to others they are a symbol of out-of-control consumerism. Two Queensland exhibitions are embracing these dualities, though from contrasting angles: Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street at HOTA on the Gold Coast, and Torsion at Brisbane’s Metro Arts.
