BT Art of Sport - Olympics exhibition

Friday 20 July 2012

Throughout June 2012, the University of Surrey’s Lewis Elton Gallery and Surrey Sports Park will host an exhibition of Olympic-inspired art produced by the BT Art of Sport project.

The BT Art of Sport exhibition features painting, sculpture and photography from 12 leading artists commissioned by London 2012 premier partner BT, with guest contributor Faith Winter. The exhibition will draw on the power of art to capture the mindset of the UK’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes and convey the drama and passion of the historic sporting events.

Working closely with Team GB’s elite sportsmen and women, the BT Art of Sport artists have created a body of work that will make a valuable contribution towards the artistic legacy of the London 2012 Olympics.

The mixed-media group show will feature sculpture, painting and photography from 12 leading UK artists that have been specially commissioned by the London 2012 premier partner BT as part of the forthcoming Cultural Olympiad programme. The participating artists represent some of the UK’s most exciting artistic talent.

Working with Team GB’s foremost Olympic and Paralympic athletes, the BT Art of Sport initiative will produce a body of work that will serve to re-tell the story of the London 2012 Olympics, capturing the dedication and commitment of these elite athletes and conveying the drama and passion of these historic sporting events.

Paul Blanchard, Surrey Sports Park Chief Executive said: “We are both excited and proud to be hosting the BT Art of Sport exhibition here at Surrey Sports Park ahead of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The exhibition is set to be a spectacular visual showcase of both the Games and some of the UK's leading artistic talent and I encourage everyone to head to Surrey Sports Park and the Lewis Elton Gallery to take a look.”

Ben Dearnley is a sculptor working in the traditional media of bronze and statuary marble. Sculpting the Olympians and Paralympians Mark Foster, Leon Taylor and Ade Adepitan MBE for his Modern Day Heroes series, Dearnley’s classically-inspired work conveys the grace and power of the athletes, both honoring their commitment and celebrating their achievements.

The highly-skilled watercolours of Jeremy Houghton communicate the control and focus of his sporting subjects while former street artist Dylan Izaak’s detailed pen and ink portraits depict the energy and excitement of the Olympic atmosphere. Darren Baker is a classical realist painter who has worked extensively with sporting subjects in his capacity as the official artist of the Professional Footballer’s Association. Richard Booth, a photographic artist specializing in emotive imagery with a focus on people, passion and movement, has been commissioned to produce the official photographic story of the London 2012 Olympics.

Born in Guernsey and growing up around water, Dominic Wheadon developed a passion for swimming and scuba diving. He uses water to play with light, depth, colour, reflection and the distorted human form. Through the BT Art of Sport initiative, Dom is using the Olympic theme to explore his usual subjects in a new way. Lorne McKean, who was awarded the Silver Medal for Sculpture at the Royal Academy Schools, has recently completed a commission for BT ambassador and Olympic dressage gold medalist Lee Pearson and his horse Gentleman.

Teresa Witz's interest lies in the creation of contemporary iconic images of celebrity personalities. This led in turn to an interest in the portrayal of ordinary people as 'iconic unknowns', a description which, for the moment, could be applied to many of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls.Her portraits capture the determination and dedication behind each athlete’s Olympic dream. Graphic artist PINS specialises in various creative media including airbrush design, graphic design and spray can art. As a sports enthusiast PINS sees art and sport as one and the same; they both require the same passion, dedication and persistence to succeed.

For the fifth consecutive Olympic Games Brian West has been commissioned by the Royal Yachting Association to paint a montage of the British Olympic and Paralympic sailing teams in action. In the recent past, Brian has been commissioned to paint a number of Gold Medal Winners for both the British Olympic Association and SportsAid. An Associate member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors, Christine Charlesworth specializes in figurative sculpture and portraiture that captures the energy and natural movement of her subjects, whilst the large scale sculptures of Michael Speller effectively convey the drama and spectacle of the Olympic endeavour.

Mark Hunter image courtesy of Richard Booth.