From PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER:
"... strains of cultural critique surface in SPORTSNATION. Brett Kashmere’s two-gallery installation is announced on a hallway-hung monitor by a video-game loop of LeBron at half court, endlessly scanning an otherwise vacant floor (and equally unpeopled arena) for his absent teammates; hung nearby, framed behind glass, is a charred 'James 23' jersey.
"Inside one gallery hang pep-rally-style banners from Kashmere’s series This Is Pro Football: 'Cruel Rites of Manhood,' 'Ballet & Brutality,' 'One-Hundred Yard Universe.' But Kashmere isn’t hating on sports so much as asking us to think about them more. He shows how in From Deep, his feature-length 2013 docu-essay, on loop in a darkened gallery. Based on the 20 minutes I saw, this film about the intersection of basketball and hip hop, is a smart, provocative take on things like the racial subtexts of Hollywood hoops fare like Hoosiers; sports and politics (Ali, Kareem); and how stars like Julius Erving, and tracks like Kurtis Blow’s 'Basketball' (1984), helped turn the 1960s New York street game into the game. This is cultural commentary both trenchant and entertaining." (Bill O'Driscoll)
From CBS PITTSBURGH:
"Kids will love the artwork done by Brett Kashmere, a Pittsburgh filmmaker, curator and writer who develops a keen development of sports and the cultural role they play in America. This is perfect timing with the media blitz of sports that depict sports heroes through an assortment of mesmerizing collections. The banners seem to jump off the wall and describe the nuances of basketball and other sports, such as hockey and football. The floor design runs freely in all directions, and the visual presentation of a basketball net, an NBA jersey and the variety of slogans on the wall represent the cultural importance and reverance for sports. There is a story with each project and lesson to be learned about sports culture and history, and kids will have an enriching and educational experience in all forms of media." (Gerry Cernicky)