7-26-2024 8:35am

Olympians to showcase their art at Paris 2024

Donnella Tilery Editor

At the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, 37 artworks created by seven Olympian artists, including oil paintings, photographs, paper cuts, mixed media collages, sculptures and a quilt made of recycled fabric, will be unveiled to an international audience in Paris on 25 July, a day before the Opening Ceremony.

The Olympians behind the artistic creations are: Luc Abalo (FRA, handball, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020); René Concepción (PHI, swimming, Seoul 1988); Annabel Eyres (GBR, rowing, Barcelona 1992); Grace Latz (USA, rowing, Rio 2016); Enzo Lefort (FRA, fencing, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020); Brooklyn McDougall (CAN, speed skating, Beijing 2022); and Clementine Stoney Maconachie (AUS, swimming, Sydney 2000).

The exhibition is part of the Olympian Artists programme led by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through the Olympic Museum. Launched in 2018, the programme promotes the creative talents of Olympians and Paralympians, and invites them to produce and present their artistic creations during and between editions of the Olympic Games.

Meet the Olympian Artists celebrating the universal languages of art and sport

Inspired by his family’s spirit, Olympism, and keen to promote a sense of positivity, athlete-turned-coach, educator and artist René (Guy) Concepción puts heart and home into his creations to present a series of brightly coloured, dynamic and textured mixed media collages that seek to create connection and joy, and celebrate life.

Annabel Eyres is largely a figurative artist. Drawing inspiration from British photographer Eadweard Muybridge, best known for his influential photographic studies of people and animals in motion, and from her love of rowing, swimming and yoga, she presents a series of six paper cut and collage works, and two wood reliefs depicting the human form in motion.

Guadeloupe-born French fencer Enzo Lefort is the only artist featured in the exhibition who is concurrently slated for competition at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, showcasing his art both on and off the field of play. His series of photographic portraits entitled “Olympic Faces: One French Team” illustrates the diversity of athletes representing France at the Olympic and Paralympic Games on home turf.

Swimmer-turned-sculptor Clementine Stoney Maconachie sees many parallels between the practice of sport and art. “Both require commitment and dedication. Both practices require time and effort to build your skill and hone your technique. Both create a community and are a form of expression.” Wanting to stimulate curiosity and create artworks that people can walk around, the Australian Olympian presents six sculptures made using sustainable or recycled materials that express the joy and grace of movement and balance.

With her paintings and imaginary newspaper articles, Canadian speed-skater Brooklyn McDougall pays tribute to the “The Trailblazers” – Hélène de Pourtalès, Charlotte Cooper and Margaret Abbott – whose achievements as the first women to become Olympic champions at Paris 1900 were never properly recognised at the time.

French handball legend and Olympic champion Luc Abalo also makes the parallel between sport and painting as powerful and physical forms of expression. A talented painter, he presents four oil paintings that celebrate the athleticism and artistry of fellow athletes.

American rower Grace Latz, inspired by the collaborative and often intergenerational nature of quilting, exhibits a quilt featuring the Olympic emblem made with repurposed scraps of sports clothing, including some of her own from her competition days. She produced this piece in collaboration with a group of senior citizens during a creative workshop she led at Club Caulaincourt in the 19th district in Paris last year.

“Quilts are a community effort to honour big events that are both personal and shared,” says Latz. “When scraps of fabric are assembled, they transform into celebratory, healing, comforting, unifying and expressive works of art that carry many layers of meaning and emotion. The work created collectively from scraps of discarded sports clothing symbolises effort, unity and collaboration. We contribute to the celebration and the heritage of these Olympic Games.”

Bringing community together through creative workshops

In the lead-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Olympian Artists programme collaborated with the City of Paris to invite four Olympians, including Latz and Abalo, and one Paralympian, Brenda Sardón from Argentina, to spend a week “in residence”.

The four artists worked with various social and community centres across Paris, leading collaborative projects and creative workshops. With activities spanning painting, decoupage, collage, quilt-making and music, the workshops took place between autumn 2023 and spring 2024. They were developed to promote inclusivity and enhance access to meaningful encounters with Olympians and Paralympians among diverse populations and social groups.

Parisian native Abalo led a community-based project working with residents of the Poternes des Peupliers housing and social rehabilitation centre (Centre d'hébergement et de réinsertion sociale Poternes des Peupliers) in the 13th district of Paris. Together, the former handball player and these adults on the road to recovery and reintegration into society co-created three murals inspired by sport and the Olympic and Paralympic values.

Speaking of his experience, Abalo said: “We arrived with the canvases, the paints and the paintings, and they were happy to paint. I was delighted to see people who were afraid to paint expressing themselves. We put smiles on the faces of people in situations that aren't always pleasant. We spent time with them, we painted, we enjoyed ourselves – there were smiles. We drank coffee, they told me about their lives, and I told them about mine. It was great!"

American rower Kelly Salchow MacArthur met at-risk children and young people to explore their Parisian surroundings, take photographs, and create mixed media Olympic-themed collages. Argentinean paracanoe athlete Brenda Sardón worked with adults facing physical and mental challenges to design their own Paralympic pennant banners.

Lastly, Estonian sprinter and musician Egle Uljas took up residency at the Paris Regional Music Conservatory. The Olympian offered music students informal “workshop” sessions in which she discussed the theme of physical and mental preparation, drawing parallels between elite sport and musical performances. Uljas concluded her residency by performing a visually immersive piano recital that blended her personal story and Olympic experience with her love of piano music.

About the Olympian Artists programme

Olympian artists are multifaceted individuals who have participated in the Olympic Games and pushed their creativity beyond the field of play – as painters, sculptors, photographers, filmmakers, musicians, graffiti artists, designers and writers, or through another art form. The Olympian Artists programme gives Olympic and Paralympic athletes a global platform to share their experiences as both athletes and artists with diverse audiences through exhibitions, collaborative art projects “in residence” and educational workshops. Since the programme’s launch in 2018, 23 Olympians and two Paralympians from 13 countries have participated, creating more than 80 original works in a joyful celebration of sport, creativity and the Olympic values.

Olympic and Paralympic athletes who practise some form of art, either professionally or as a hobby, are invited to sign up to the Olympian Artists database to receive news and updates from the Olympic Museum about future opportunities to participate in the programme. Interested athletes can sign up through the Athlete365 website.