The Olympic Games (are we allowed to say that without getting a court order?) are so much more than a meeting of international sportspeople and fans — since the dawn of civilisation, they have captured imaginations, hearts and minds; the Games are a cultural phenomena that transcend sport.
Benjamin Senior, Stroke Tempo, 2016
Seven colour lithographic print on Somerset 300 gsm Velvet White paper. Produced by Paupers Press, London
Edition of 100. 76 x 60cm © Benjamin Senior
Courtesy of Counter Editions, London and Team GB
Embracing the culture of the games, the meeting of art and sport has been celebrated since 1912 — when prints and posters were first commissioned for the Games. Having been tasked with creating the official prints for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, online contemporary art buying platform Counter Editions have gone on to collaborate with Team GB at both the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games and the Baku 2015 European Games; they’re back together again, presenting the official prints for Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The eight artists chosen by Counter Editions demonstrate the diverse gamut of inspiration in British art today — iconic YBA Tracey Emin; star-in-the-making Anne Hardy; Sir Howard Hodgkin, one of the country’s most acclaimed painters and printmakers; photographic artist Sarah Jones; provocateur Eddie Peake; Benjamin Senior; doodle-man David Shrigley; and renowned visual artist turned filmmaker, Sam Taylor-Johnson.
Capturing the spirit of Brazil, the personal involvement of competing athletes, the road to triumph, and the positivity of folk back home, this series of eight prints offer an idiosyncratic look at the range of emotions the Games trigger.
The official limited edition prints for Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games are available exclusively from countereditions.com
Sam Taylor-Johnson
Wanderer Above the Sea of Dreams, 2016
Twenty-colour screenprint, solvent-based ink on 410gsm Somerset Tub-Sized paper. Produced by Coriander Studio, London
Edition of 100. 76 x 60cm © Sam Taylor-Johnson
Courtesy of Counter Editions, London and Team GB
Eddie Peake, Sweat, 2016
Screenprint with solvent-based ink in three colour blend on 410gsm Somerset Tub Sized paper. Produced by Coriander Studio, London
Edition of 100. 76 x 60cm © Eddie Peake
Courtesy of Counter Editions, London and Team GB
David Shrigley, Life Is Fantastic, 2016
Eight colour screen print on Somerset Tub Sized 410 gsm paper. Produced by K2 Screen, London
Edition of 125. 76 x 60cm © David Shrigley
Courtesy of Counter Editions, London and Team GB
Anne Hardy, Reflection, 2016
Archival inkjet print on Canson Baryta Photographique 310 gsm paper. Produced by Grieger, Düsseldorf
Edition of 100. 76 x 60cm © Anne Hardy
Courtesy of Counter Editions, London and Team GB
Sarah Jones, Cabinet (Spiral), 2016
Archival inkjet print on Canson Baryta Photographique 310 gsm paper. Produced by Grieger, Düsseldorf
Edition of 100. 76 x 60cm © Sarah Jones
Courtesy of Counter Editions, London and Team GB
Howard Hodgkin, The Road to Rio, 2016
22 colour screen print using L.Cornelisson hand-ground light-fast pigments with Dubuit binders and Aqua Art matt varnishes, on St. Cuthbert’s Mill Somerset White Satin 300gsm paper.
Produced by King & McGaw, Newhaven
Edition of 350. 76 x 60cm © Howard Hodgkin
Courtesy of Counter Editions, London and Team GB
