The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise turned 35 years old this past summer, and to mark the occasion, iam8bit is hosting a special 35 Years of Speed: The Sonic Art Exhibit across Seattle and Los Angeles this month. While the Seattle edition occurred earlier this month, it arrives in Los Angeles at ARK/8 this weekend. To mark the occasion, we sat down with longtime character artist and director for the Sonic series, Kazuyuki Hoshino, to discuss the exhibit and Sonic's evolution over the years.

The event, set to take place in Los Angeles this weekend, features original art from more than 30 artists and aims to create a "fan-built visual compilation of the Sonic Universe" by telling Sonic's story through key scenes reimagined by the artists. The artist submissions were selected via criteria that equally weighed theme adherence, creativity and originality, technique and execution, and visual and emotional impact. 

"Everybody knows that it's Sonic's 35th anniversary, and because of that, there are various histories of Sonic, and a lot of people throughout the ages who have enjoyed Sonic," Hoshino says. "This gallery is our way of showcasing his history and everything. There's a lot of obvious Sonic fandom and there are a myriad of talented creators that I've worked with in the past, so this gallery is to showcase the various arts by all of these creators and artists to celebrate Sonic."

Hoshino joined Sega in 1991, right as the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise was taking off as not only Sega's new mascot, but also one of the most recognizable faces in entertainment.

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