Kobe x Gaulli, 2026.

Kobe x Gaulli, 2026

This original mixed-media work explores ascension, legacy, and the transformation of an athlete into a cultural icon.

At its foundation is imagery from Giovanni Battista Gaulli’s monumental Baroque ceiling, The Triumph of the Name of Jesus, created for the Church of the Gesù in Rome. Gaulli’s figures appear to break beyond the physical architecture and rise into the heavens. Here, that historic visual language of elevation and transcendence is recontextualized around Kobe Bryant, tracing his ascent from athlete to legend to enduring cultural icon.

Fractured gold lines move through the composition like pathways, representing discipline, adversity, achievement, and time. They intersect, break, and change direction before ultimately moving upward, reflecting the idea that the path toward greatness is rarely linear.

Fragments of vintage advertisements, typography, playing cards, automobile, and other cultural ephemera are layered throughout the work as a form of cultural archaeology. Different eras exist simultaneously, creating a visual archive of the culture through which an icon is remembered. 

The result is a collision of Baroque grandeur, popular culture, and contemporary mixed media, a meditation on how icons are created, remembered, and ultimately elevated beyond their own time.

Layers of vintage ephemera, acrylic paint, gold leaf,  and mixed media are assembled to create a visual archive celebrating the life and legacy of Kobe. Finished with archival UV gloss varnish.

24 × 36 × 1.5 in. wood panel
Original artwork (1/1)