Magdalena Dziki
Color that remembers
Magdalena Dziki
Gorzanów, Poland
Color that remembers
Exclusive Drop Access for Rakuten members
To purchase, simply sign up for a free Rakuten account and receive 10% CashBack on your order.
Product Details
My design is inspired by the visual language of the 90s and the idea of returning to the “building blocks” of childhood. As a 90s child, I grew up surrounded by bright objects, simple graphics and early digital aesthetics, so I chose to translate that feeling into a pixel-art universe built on soft pastel tones. I based the palette on CMYK, the four primary print colors, because they symbolize beginnings. CMYK is the source from which every other color is created, in the same way childhood forms the foundation for everything that shapes us later in life.
I painted the sneakers using acrylic paints and worked pixel by pixel with a flat brush. Every square was placed individually to keep the structure clean and intentional. I used an airbrush only on a few geometric elements to maintain smooth edges without breaking the pixel aesthetic. Creating perfect squares on a curved shoe surface was the most challenging part of the process and required precision, patience and continuous corrections. The entire project took three days of uninterrupted work.
Both shoes share the same concept but are designed differently, forming one complete composition when viewed together. I enjoy when paired sneakers don’t mirror each other but instead build a unified story through contrast. The objects scattered across the shoes are part of the visual memory of the 90s, presented as stickers within a pixel world. They represent nostalgia, simplicity, early creativity and the playful energy of childhood, but also connect to digital beginnings through their pixelated form.
The design communicates a return to a slower rhythm of life, when connection felt natural and unforced. Pixel art itself reinforces that message. A pixel is the smallest, simplest unit of an image, mirroring how early experiences are the smallest, simplest units of identity. By combining nostalgic objects with a modern color logic and a structured technique, the sneakers blend emotional memory with deliberate design.
What makes this pair unique is the combination of CMYK as a conceptual foundation, the fully hand-painted pixel execution, and the approach of treating the two shoes as complementary but non-identical canvases. The process opened my mind to a new style, and exploring pixel art in a physical, hand-painted form was one of the most inspiring parts of the project.
Read the full story of the artworkRefund Policy
All sales are full and final. No returns can be made once shoes are purchased.
Shipping Information
Ships in 4 weeks in USA, Canada and UK.
Additional fees might apply for international shipping
Now available to own
Following an exhibition in San Francisco on February 20th, 2026, the Art of the Game Collection is available to purchase.
A historic collection uniting the vanguard of artists from the US and Europe. One hundred visionary creators were selected to immortalise the iconic Under Armour Curry 1 Low FloTro.
This is a finite series of 1-of-1 sneaker sculptures - impossible to replicate and designed to appreciate. The ultimate acquisition for the serious collector - a chance to secure a permanent place in sneaker and sports culture history.
Mache Runner -
Jordan - AJ 1 High
