See the Riotous Posters Designed for Tokyo’s 2020 Olympics by Chris Ofili, Viviane Sassen, and Other Artists

Ever since Stockholm hosted the
Olympics in 1912 there’s been a tradition for cities to commission
posters ahead of the games. Now, the Organizing Committee for the
2020 Summer and Paralympic Games in Tokyo revealed the 20 official
posters for this year’s competitions—and there are some big
names among the 19
artists.

With his poster, Turner
Prize-winning artist Chris Ofili (who previously contributed a
poster to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London) depicts two floating
figures merging into one another. Meanwhile, Dutch photographer
Viviane Sassen captured through her lens a scene of aerial
acrobats. Asao Tokolo, one of numerous Japanese artists represented
in the bunch, referred to the official logo for the games, which he
also designed, and illustrator Philippe Weisbecker submitted a
simple graphic of Tokyo’s new stadium.

On the whole, the posters eschew
traditional Olympic tropes and allusions to medals, flames, or the
interlocked five-rings are scant. Instead, there are nods to
Japanese cultural references like Manga, traditional calligraphy,
and Hokusai’s The
Great Wave off Kanagawa.

The 20 posters—12 are dedicated
the Summer Games, eight to the Paralympics—were chosen by a
selection committee composed of Japanese editors, designers,
architects, and others. They’re on view now through February 16 at
the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo. The Summer Olympics open
in Tokyo on July 24, followed by the Paralympic Games on August 25,
2020.

Other notable artists to have
designed posters for the Olympics include Rachel Whiteread (London,
2012), Robert Rauschenberg (Los Angeles, 1984), and David Hockney
(Moscow, 1972).

See a selection of more 2020
posters below.

The post See the Riotous Posters Designed for Tokyo’s 2020
Olympics by Chris Ofili, Viviane Sassen, and Other Artists
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