Avant-garde posters unveiled as Tokyo Olympics near

Japan Today -- Jan 07

The official posters are out for this year's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

The 20 posters have been created by 19 artists in fields ranging from painting, graphic design and photography. Calligraphy and Japanese manga are also represented. Manga is the Japanese art of comics and cartooning, which is very famous in the host country.

The posters were first put on display on Monday at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. They will remain on display at the museum in east Tokyo through Feb 16.

The posters are a tradition at every Olympics and Paralympics, and many previous posters have become collector's items. The requirement to create posters is set out in the so-called “host city contract” in which the International Olympic Committee establishes the rules for the preparation and management of the games.

The Summer Olympics open at Tokyo's new National Stadium on July 24 and are followed by the Paralympics on Aug. 25.

Of the 20 posters, 12 are based on OIympic themes and eight were inspired by the Paralympics. Several feature wheelchairs, including a graphic vision of the violence in the sport of wheelchair rugby.

Many of the images are far from traditional, showcasing bright colors and curious forms. In many of the avant-garde images it is difficult to discern the exact tie to the Olympics or Paralympics. Very few even feature a prominent display of the Tokyo Olympic or Paralympic logos.

That also goes for the five Olympic rings, which are seldom featured.

Jan 07 (ANNnewsCH) - 東京オリンピックの開幕まであと200日となった6日、大会の公式ポスター20作品が公開されました。  東京大会の公式ポスターはオリンピック12作品、パラリンピック8作品で、国内外19人のアーティストが描きました。漫画家の荒木飛呂彦さんは、葛飾北斎の浮世絵をモチーフにスポーツの神々が日本に舞い降りる姿を描きました。悩んだのは富士山の色だったといいます。  漫画家・荒木飛呂彦さん:「金メダルが取れるように、たくさん取れるように祈って描きました」  浦沢直樹さんは、スポーツの興奮を伝えることに挑戦してきた日本の漫画家の一人としてポスターを作りました。次のページはどうなるのか、ワクワクするような作品です。このほか、写真家の蜷川実花さんや書家の金澤翔子さんらの作品も公開されました。7日から東京・江東区の美術館で展示されます。