Photographers overlooked in 2012 Olympics Poster commission
Image courtesy of Olympic Delivery Authority, via Getty Images.
Twelve British artists have been selected to design next year's Olympic Games posters, but no photographers made the list
Author: Olivier Laurent
28 Jun 2011 Tags: 2012 olympic games
Last week, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games unveiled the list of the 12 British artists that have been tasked with creating 12 posters for next year's games.
The list includes conceptual and contemporary artists and sculptors, musicians and painters, but no photographers. The snub has been criticised, with the Image Source agency launching a campaign to get a photographer on the list. "In the age of the cellphone camera, of social networking, photography is the medium of connecting and sharing, it is our most popular art form," writes Image Source. "But that, it seems, had no relevance to the selection criteria."
Speaking to BJP, a London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games's spokeman explained that Olympic posters "are normally and historically paintings and drawings," and that as such, no photographers were selected.
However, in 1964, Tokyo unveiled the first photographic poster for its Olympic Games, shot by Osamu Hayasaki. Confronted with that fact, LOCOG's spokesman told BJP that the brief didn't specify the medium and that the selected artists were "free to work wth photography if they wanted to. We haven't said that [they] have to use a paintbrush."
The list of selected artists includes Howard Hodgkin, Bridget Riley, Tracey Emin, Chris Ofili, Fiona Banner, Michael Craig-Martin, Martin Creed, Anthea Hamilton, Gary Hume, Sarah Morris, Bob and Roberta Smith, and Rachel Whiteread. They were chosen from among 100 British artists.
Comments
This ia commision, awarded by people who pay, and they can choose whom they want themselves.
If I pay, I choose.
The arguments put forward by others to the contrary on this non-issue baffle me.
But I suspect that the only memorable images of the Games will be photographs, as usual, so its good to have a little variety now and again.
As with so much else surrounding the olympics (budget many times that originally stated, slightly cheesy ersatz euphoria, wildly overtstated benefits to local communities, dubious logo) the predictable selection of a bunch of "the usual suspects" was, well, predictable. The chances of LOCOG doing anything off script that smacked of risk or originality was a mere statistical error short of zero. These may or may not be the best "artists" Britain has to offer - it doesn't matter really - but everyone's heard of them, and their headline status means no-one will get sacked for booking them.
Is it photographers or designers who have been overlooked?
Howard Hodgkin (painter), Bridget Riley (painter/sculptor), Tracey Emin (needlework, sculpture, drawing, video and installation, photography and painting), Chris Ofili (painter), Fiona Banner (sculpture, drawing and installation), Michael Craig-Martin (painting, drawing and conceptual art), Martin Creed (performance and installation artist), Anthea Hamilton (mixed media sculptor), Gary Hume (painter), Sarah Morris (painter, muralist and alledged plagiarist), Bob and Roberta Smith (aka Patrick Brill, painter), and Rachel Whiteread (sculpture and installation).
None of these artists is either qualified or not by virtue of their discipline. How many of them have proven record as designers is another matter. Poster design is a celebrated part of Olympic history and the work is traditionally awarded to artist with a proven track record of great design - irrespective of what it says above the artist's door.
The above crowd may wow us all, I hope they do, but omitting British design. graphic, illustration, 3D, gaming and advertising talent is a snub. It's also a further example of the institutional commissioning and curatorial elite in the UK narrowing the definition of what qualifies as art. They are simply failing to celebrate the brilliance which is evident all around them.
Well it is the decision of the people paying who they choose to commission. Aggree with PH comment that it will be photographs that we remember the games by in years to come, so a pity no photographers made the list...
Look forward to Tracey Emin's 'Unmade Long-jump sandpit' poster!
The initial thought was who else was on the list "of artists"...and why artists? do the commissioning selectors believe that posters are devised, designed or created by fine artists...surely not...is this not a case of LOCOG kowtowing and seeking endorsement from the established arts for their event. I am sure that at least some of the artists selected will feel a twinge of embarrassment in even being associated with the event...are we really going to see a neon athlete bearing a neon Craig Martin torch on a plinth in Trafalgar square next summer?
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