An exhibition themed ‘Celebration of Art and Sports’, hosted by the International Judo Federation, collects the works of familiar painters who have been permanent supporters of judo, but also of famous Azerbaijani contemporary artists, who are joining this event in support of the first Judo World Championships held in Baku, as well as some newly invited artists, who are exhibiting their works to the Judo Family for the first me.
“Following the success of last year’s World Championships, when the International Judo Federation organized the inaugural edition of this art exhibition entitled ‘A Celebration of Art and Sports’, we have decided to repeat the experience in order to further promote our sport through the means of visual arts,” said IJF President Vizer at the opening of the exhibition.
“I believe that sport and art have a similar mission in uplifting the human spirit and bringing a sense of unity between people, in educating them and thus contributing to the betterment of our world.”
The following artists are exhibiting: Monika Gloviczki, Elizaveta Aleksandrova, Raymond Poulet, Eugen Vasile, Neil Eckersley, Aynur Sakitqizi, Bahram Bagirzade, Cesar Mammadov, Rahib Garayev and Zamik Rzayev. READ MORE ABOUT THE ARTISTS
For Neil Eckersley, the combined theme of art and judo literally reflects his life. Being an elite judoka in his younger years he earned a bronze medal on the Olympic tatami at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Turning to art after judo felt only natural. “Art and judo are very connected to me. Obviously, I’ve been involved in judo at a high level and the connection between both for me is the movement. I try to put in a lot of movement within my paintings. They’re abstracts. They are not all judo-related. They show I have an understanding of control, movement and energy,” says Neil.
The idea of bringing art and sport together – in this case judo – really appeals to Neil as an artist. “I think it’s amazing. I went to the first exhibition during the Judo Worlds in Budapest last year and it was outstanding. It’s really good to add a different perspective. Bringing in artwork gives elegance and also the guests of the IJF something different to talk about. A special type of atmosphere.”
Being dyslectic, Neil considered himself only good at two things in school: sports and art. “This has always been a passion for me. I’ve always been into something of visual art. I find it easy to express myself on my canvasses rather than with the written word. For me it’s not just a profession. It’s within my DNA.”
Like the athlete, the artist also prepares himself. “It’s a process. And for me a lengthy one. I’m like a vessel. And all these colors go into that vessel and once it starts to overflow, I have to paint. The actual application of the work is pretty quick. My work is very flowing, very quick, very fast moving. Very much like my judo. So, the process can be as simple as a conversation or a symbol or an environment that I’m in. I very much take that on board and translate it in my next piece of work.”
Neil’s favorite work at this exhibition is ‘The Essence of Judo’. “It resulted from a collaboration with photographer David Finch who took photos of me when I was competing. He sent me a picture of Teddy Riner six months ago. And from that picture I developed and developed and finally ended up with ‘The Essence of Judo’. I’m very pleased with that. I don’t present myself as a judo artist, but rather as an artist who did judo. But this piece marries the two together.”
Also, for Monika Gloviczki uniting art and sport is essential. “We shouldn’t have the division that sport is limited. Sport is beauty, like art. Athletes manage their body and try to be the best in their discipline. This is all natural. So, both go well together.”
Monika fights the concept a person is born an artist genius. “The artist – like the athlete – works hard to achieve his or her art. This is very hard labor. Including physical work, similar to the athlete. To paint or to sculpt indeed requires physical effort. It also takes years of commitment to be good in art … just like an athlete.” Monika selected her paintings for this exhibition in a random way each painting feeds the idea representing sports. “Although there was one painting I needed to bring as it unintentionally represented Baku for me. It features nature, a mosque-like dome and a modern building. So, for me this symbolized Baku and I had to bring it here.”
Likewise, native artist Cesar Mammadov, who was born in a family of artists, sees a connection between sport and art. And it reflects in his paintings. The Azerbaijani artist participated in various exhibitions worldwide and won several awards with his works of art that are kept in private collections including a portrait of Her Majesty Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, which is currently on display in the Windsor Castle. “I’m very pleased to be part of this fine exhibition,” the artist said. “In fact, sport is also an art form, so for me it’s quite naturally to join both in an exhibition.” His artwork at the exhibition displayed many colorful judo scenes.
The exhibition ‘Celebration of Art and Sports’ runs September 18th to 19th at the Khatai Art Center in Baku. http://www.xsm.az/en/