Few artistic partnerships really feel as deeply rooted in intention as that of Rog and Bee Walker. The husband-and-wife duo behind Paper Monday have lengthy been celebrated for his or her wealthy, human-centred strategy to visible storytelling, crafting work that doesn’t simply doc black tradition however uplifts, preserves, and archives it for future generations.
Their newest collaboration with adidas, as artistic administrators of the 2025 Honoring Black Excellence (HBE) initiative, isn’t any exception. The partnership culminated in June with HBE: An Expertise Curated by Rog & Bee Walker, an immersive capstone occasion in Atlanta that introduced their year-long physique of labor to life.
As an alternative of happening a conventional exhibition route, it unfolded throughout movie, portraiture, sculptural artefacts, efficiency artwork, and a multisensory screening set up. All of it was designed to highlight this yr’s honorees: the Gee’s Bend Quilters, Jaycina Almond, and Sekou Thornell.
“These tales aren’t instructed by a distant lens; they’re lived, felt, and remembered,” the Walkers shared. “From the quilted legacies of Gee’s Bend to the visionary futures Sekou and Jaycina are constructing in Atlanta, this exhibition is about tracing the traces between previous, current, and chance.”
That concept of lineage, pathways and pipelines is central to the expertise and to the broader HBE initiative, which adidas launched in 2019 as a long-term platform to rejoice black leaders shaping tradition and group. For Rog and Bee, it additionally speaks to the way in which their very own course of honours the person as a lot because the collective. Their three quick movies, launched all through 2025, delve into the private narratives of every honoree, contextualising their influence by intimate, layered portraits.
For the Gee’s Bend Quilters – descendants of enslaved African Individuals who turned generational reminiscence right into a globally celebrated textile custom –that meant recognising craft as a type of resistance and preservation. “We felt that if we understood their every day lives, the core reminiscences that inform their work, and the those that have helped them turn into who they’re, we’d have a great sense of what to movie for his or her tales,” says Bee.
That technique of deep engagement formed each body, {photograph} and curatorial selection. “We got full artistic freedom and manufacturing help from the group at adidas,” says Rog. “It was a pleasure to let our artistic course of flourish as we thought in regards to the expertise. We actually wished it to be multidimensional and multisensory.” Inspiration was drawn from artists like Carrie Mae Weems and Tyler Mitchell, whose personal practices bridge private narrative and collective reminiscence.
The Capstone Expertise was designed not simply to showcase however to encompass audiences with black excellence in observe, every ‘portal’ honouring people as architects of group, goals, and hope. Guests didn’t simply view the honorees’ work however stepped right into a world constructed round it, connecting sound, area and story in a method that inspired reflection and dialogue.
That multidimensional pondering additionally prolonged to vogue, one other recurring theme in Rog and Bee’s observe.
“We’ve all the time beloved how vogue speaks to id, historical past, and selfhood,” they are saying. “We all the time purpose to have those that sit for us be their genuine selves and specific themselves totally.”
For the HBE movies, they collaborated with Atlanta-based stylist Melissa Younger, who labored carefully with every honoree to create seems that felt private and thought of, not performative. If the movies and installations provided an emotional depth, the design of the general programme hinted at one thing extra systemic that’s a part of a rising infrastructure.
“We’re tremendous pleased that HBE shall be a long-term undertaking,” the Walkers mirror. “The help for us as creatives was phenomenal. The Objective Crew at adidas has an unwavering dedication to the honorees and their communities. Their hearts are in the correct place, and it’s refreshing to see a model utilizing their capabilities and attain to champion optimistic work.”
That sense of longevity is essential as, for Rog and Bee, visible storytelling is a type of cultural archiving and a method of cementing legacy by picture. “We hope to create a museum-worthy catalogue of black tradition and Black tales,” they clarify.
“We hope that our dedication to telling tales and including to the gathering of pictures for people, artists, and households will in itself help individuals as they preserve their identities and tales over time.”
Over time, the duo has constructed Paper Monday right into a platform that champions underrepresented narratives, partnering with international icons like Beyoncé and Solange whereas staying grounded in community-first storytelling. Engaged on HBE felt like a pure continuation of that ethos. “As a result of we’re on the identical web page, we strategy the work by giving one another the area to function in our strongest areas. It really works nicely since now we have complementary abilities and strengths.”
Trying forward, the pair stay centered on the tales closest to house. Each immigrants, Rog and Bee, are persevering with to discover the textures of the African diaspora, from its histories and futures to the on a regular basis lives that bridge the 2.
“It’s deeply essential to us that these tales are instructed,” they are saying. “We’re dedicated to including to the numerous tapestry of black cultural and historic narratives by work within the States and the broader African diaspora.”
adidas’ Honoring Black Excellence initiative has advanced from a marketing campaign into an funding mannequin. With Paper Monday persevering with to reframe the cultural archive, Rog and Bee Walker are constructing new methods of seeing, remembering and honouring them for this technology and the following.
