Gray Volt Beyond The Beyond Fly Boy (SDCC : 2018)

Hebru Brantley creates narrative-driven work revolving around his conceptualized iconic characters which are utilized to address complex ideas around nostalgia, the mental psyche, power, and hope. The color palettes, pop-art motifs, and characters themselves create accessibility around Brantley’s layered and multifaceted beliefs. Majorly influenced by the South Side of Chicago’s Afro Cobra movement in the 1960s and 70s, Brantley uses the lineage of mural and graffiti work as a frame to explore his inquiries. Brantley applies a plethora of mediums from oil, acrylic, watercolor and spray paint to non-traditional mediums such as coffee and tea. Brantley’s work challenges the traditional view of the hero or protagonist and his work insists on a contemporary and distinct narrative that shapes and impacts the viewer’s gaze. Recognized internationally, Hebru Brantley has exhibited in Chicago, Hong Kong, London, San Francisco, Atlanta, Miami, Seattle, Los Angeles and New York including Art Basel Switzerland, Art Basel Miami, Scope NYC, and Frieze London. Brantley has been recognized in publications including the Chicago Tribune, Forbes, WWD, HypeBeast, Complex Magazine, the Chicago Sun-Times, and the New York Post. BAIT is a premium brick and click concept retailer in footwear, apparel, and high end collectibles with chapter stores in all major cities on the West Coast with expansion plans to the Midwest. BAIT is a multi-cultural and multi-category retailer that carries pinnacle and highest tiered products from the best footwear, apparel, and high end toys/collectible brands. BAIT aims to get away from traditional single category specialty retail model by curating multi category assortments that are unexpected to bring the surprise back to brick and mortar shopping. BAIT was founded on 2011/11/11 with a simple goal to create a premium retail + activation friendly environment for the elite consumers from different product categories and bring them under one roof and cross sell the limited edition products from footwear / sneakers, apparel brands, and collectibles. BAIT has evolved quickly from a retailer to partnering with the best brands in the industry to work on countless collaborations and exclusive special makeups for its consumers. BAIT is also the USA halo activation and licensing partners for global giants such as Microsoft, Sony, Universal Pictures and Dreamworks. Billionaire Boys Club & ICECREAM was founded by Pharrell Williams in partnership with NIGO® in 2003. We are globally recognized apparel and accessories brand whose blend of streetwear and luxury has influenced countless pockets of fashion, music design and culture. The name Billionaire Boys Club was ideated with an irony meant to provoke thought. We are perpetually focused more on originality and authentic self-expression than the direct financial implications of our name. We challenge our community to perceive wealth in humanity, compassion, creativity and curiosity. As the brand has morphed to continually lead and define fashion, its aspirational mantra highlights a brand perpetually focused on embracing originality and self, hence "Wealth is of the heart and mind, not the pocket.”