FIFA World Cup
Cockatoo At The Great Debate 1.5m x 1.2m
I
World Cup & Largest International Fine Art Collaboration In History
Leading contemporary Australian artist Chris Wake has been commissioned to do a painting for the 2010 Fine Art Project to celebrate the World Cup 2010 South Africa. According to 2010 Fine Art the official license holder for world cup fine art “ It is one of the largest and most ambitious art collaborations in history.” The Adelaide Hills artist Chris Wake, has finished the painting titled “Cockatoo At The Great Debate” . The painting includes a strange raft of characters from different countries with Nolanesque eyes debating the football match. Wake says “The brief was to incorporate Australia`s national pride, African heritage and the enthusiasm of the football – not an easy task to include all of this in one painting” Chris Wake says “I like to include animals in my paintings, usually birds, to remind us that we belong as part of the natural world and mankind needs to live a life that is far more respectful and sensitive to other flora and fauna species. My exhibition in Hong Kong last year was called “Global Rescue” and was a satirical comment depicting animals saving humans from the rising waterlevels “
In a few months South Africa will host the FIFA world cup South Africa – the biggest and most-watched sporting event in the world. “ In the eighty years of the FIFA World Cup fine art has never been licensed by FIFA until now. A few Artists from each of the 32 countries that qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa have been invited to participate in this ground-breaking global exhibition.” says 2010 Fine Art. Australian artist Chris Wake was commissioned because her work was noted when she had a sell out exhibition in Melbourne a few years ago and was a finalist in the 2008 Sovereign Asian Art Prize held in Hong Kong . The prestigious art prize, which artists have to nominated by a respected art dealer, covers the whole of asia and Wake was one of the 30 finalists out of 1100 practising artists. Eminent judges came from around the world including curators from the Guggenheim and The Tate museums. There is also a Sovereign European art prize held in London and both are sponsored by Barclays.
Brands United, a German art marketing company will publish limited edition signed prints from the paintings for the world cup and sold around the world. The paintings will be exhibited in London, Munich, Tokyo, Barcelona and USA. The original paintings will then be Auctioned by FIFA later this year.
Born in 1960 Wake has had more than 12 solo exhibitions and 40 group exhibitions some of which have been sell out shows. Chris Wake studied Fine Art at Adelaide Central School of Art and has been painting since 1976. Wake`s paintings are now much sought after by corporate and private collectors in Australia and internationally