Tokyo 2020 Games iconic posters unveiled

Twelve of the posters are based on the theme of the Olympic Games and eight on the Paralympic Games. It is the first time that a separate Iconic Poster has been selected to symbolise the Paralympic Games.

The release of official art posters is one of the prerequisites from the host city, to create a cultural legacy forever associated with a specific edition of the Games. Selected by the IOC from the series of the Tokyo 2020 Art Posters, the Iconic Posters will represent the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, and other museum collections and special exhibitions around the world for generations to come. The IPC did not select a poster for past Paralympic Games; however, it decided to select one for the Tokyo 2020 Games. The copyright and ownership of the two original Iconic Posters will be transferred to the IOC and the IPC respectively.

Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage Director Angelita Teo said: “We are delighted to have outstanding artists from Japan and all over the world come together to create these official art posters for the Tokyo 2020 Games. The chosen poster articulates themes of embracing diversity and solidarity; core messages which the Olympic Games have always valued as we work towards creating a world where people are intrinsically linked with one another. This clearly symbolises the Tokyo 2020 Games concept of ‘Unity in Diversity’.”

Graphic designer Asao Tokolo said: “I decided to return to the basics and use a compass and a ruler to draw by hand the chequered ‘ichimatsu moyo’ pattern of the Tokyo 2020 emblem, which represent ‘diversity and inclusiveness’. I take great pride in the Japanese indigo colour, which was considered ‘the colour for victory’ by warlords during the Sengoku Period (late 1500s to late 1600s) and a colour widely used in the clothing worn by common folk during the Edo Period (1603 – 1868). For the poster, the emblem is drawn in white on a Japanese indigo background. The poster is like a baton that is passed on to the future generation. As a symbol of the Tokyo 2020 Games that will mark an important milestone in Olympic history, I hope that the poster will be passed on and cherished for many years to come.”

IPC President Andrew Parsons said: “It was difficult to choose a poster which best represents the Games as there were many great posters. Overall, it has been incredible to see so many great designers from Japan and around the world developing their visions of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. The most iconic post by Goo Choki Par represents the diversity and joy we have at the Paralympics providing a spectacular platform to change the world through sport.”

Goo Choki Par stated: “We expressed the strong determination of the Para athletes who continue to challenge with optimism. Passion cannot be stopped. Passion is the hope of humanity that has always been passed on through the ages. We would be happy if the Paralympic poster we designed for the Tokyo 2020 Games will inspire and motivate the athletes today as well as in the times to come.”

Designer Asao Tokolo’s profile:

Asao Tokolo was born in Tokyo in 1969. His major exhibitions include MOT Annual 2010: Neo-Ornamentalism from Japanese Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (2010); Tokolo Asao × Aomori City Archives Exhibition: Individual and Group, Aomori Contemporary Art Centre (2016); Arita × Tokolo, The Kyushu Ceramic Museum, Saga (2019); and works including the outdoor sculpture, Tower of Connect (2017); and Tokyo 2020 emblems.

Goo Choki Par’s profile:

Goo Choki Par is a design unit of three graphic designers: Rei Ishii (b. 1985 in Kanagawa), Kent Iitaka (b.1985 in Fukuoka) and Q. Asaba (b. 1986 in Tokyo). Major awards to date include One Show Design Gold, D&AD Yellow Pencil, and NY ADC Awards Gold. “Visual communication” transcending language and thinking is at the heart of their interdisciplinary creations. Their work aims to stretch the boundaries of graphic expression and free it from convention by combining the aesthetic sensibilities of the three designers, and funnelling those sensibilities into a single expression.

Official licenced mechanise featuring the two selected posters will be on sale shortly in outlets across Japan. From today until 5 September, all 20 of the art posters from which the IOC and IPC made their selection will be displayed at the Japan Olympic Museum in Tokyo.

Tokyo 2020 Official Art Posters

Since the early 20th century, posters have been created by Organising Committees of the Olympic Games to promote this major sporting and cultural event. Olympic posters also play the role of showcasing the special features of each Games to the world.

Recently, official posters—including Paralympic posters—have been created by internationally-renowned artists and designers aimed at leaving cultural and artistic legacies for each Olympic and Paralympic Games. These posters include works that are now regarded as iconic.

See https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/games/games-artposter/

Downloads

You can download relevant materials from the Tokyo 2020 Press Room at the following link: https://media.tokyo2020.org/en/press-room/

For more information: Tokyo 2020 Online Press Room

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