Under the auspices of German President Johannes Rau and involving sundry international art experts, the idea is for 600 artists from all the nations participating in the Games to submit work for judging, then to be invited to display their endeavours, be they paintings, sculpture or installations, in Athens.
The project is organised by the Berlin-based Artiade Cultural Foundation and the exhibition is scheduled to run from the opening of the Games next August 12 to September 29 2004.
The Foundation tells me similar shows are planned for the Winter Olympics in 2006 and the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
It seems The European Union is among the sponsors who have financially backed this idea which aims “to reunite two facets of Olympic culture – art and athletics.”
Ambitious indeed.
Artists on their marks for Athens
JUST 365 More Days Till Artiade – The Olympics Of Contemporary Art ran the baffling headline of a missive that I received last week. It transpires that Artiade is no less than a grand international art exhibition which will accompany the XXVIII Athens Olympic Games next year.
