The posters were presented at the Allianz Arena in Munich today by Federal
Minister of the Interior Otto Schily, FIFA President Joseph Blatter,
Organising Committee President Franz Beckenbauer as well as the curator of
the artistic and cultural programme, André Heller. Partner of the initiative
is arts marketing agency Brands United, which also sells the works.<br />
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The Official Art Posters are available in a signed, limited edition and
unlimited edition, both produced using high-quality full colour offset
lithography. The poster designs offer snapshots or abstractions of the
subject of football. Newcomers to contemporary art are represented here
alongside the big names of the art world. Each artist takes a very personal,
sometimes country-specific look at the sport and lets the cultural
peculiarities of his/her home country flow into his/her work. So, for
example, Andreas Gursky, internationally renowned artist and self-professed
football fan, depicts the prerequisite of each thrilling match: laying the
sacred turf bit by bit. By contrast, the work of his colleague Rosemarie
Trockel is a humorous examination of football as a male domain. As a Chinese
contribution, the three Luo Brothers combine contradictory styles and create
a cup of contrasts in their "A Cup for Your Toy".<br />
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The following 14 artists have each created one art poster:<br />
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Tim Ayres (Great Britain), Tobias Rehberger (Germany), Rosemarie Trockel
(Germany), Norbert Bisky (Germany), Michael Craig-Martin (Great Britain),
Luo Brothers (China), Hisashi Tenmyouya (Japan), Kwesi Owusu-Ankomah
(Ghana), Toyin Loye (Nigeria), Beatriz Milhazes (Brazil), Sarah Morris
(USA), Jess MacNeil (Australia), Andreas Gursky (Germany), Markus Lüpertz
(Germany)<br />
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Statements on the Official Art Posters 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany:<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Otto Schily, Federal Minister of the Interior:<br />
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"Never before has there been an arts and culture programme with such
creative projects and campaigns in the run-up to a football world cup. The
Federal Government now supports a total of 40 first-rate projects through
this programme and via the Cultural Foundation of the German Football
Association (DFB Kulturstiftung). We officially opened the FOOTBALL GLOBE in
Berlin in as early as September 2003. It is now successfully touring the
host cities. Far more than 400,000 football and multimedia fans have visited
the GLOBE during the eight stops it has made so far.<br />
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With respect to the exclusiveness of the entire programme, we are
especially indebted to its curator, André Heller, who has ensured the
success of the artistic and cultural programme through his inexhaustible
wealth of ideas. The basic idea behind all the campaigns is: characteristic
style and distinctive image, instead of arbitrariness and volume. The art
posters meet this requirement exceptionally well too: international artists
create works relating to all aspects of football from their own personal,
country-specific perspective. The posters are another highlight in the
kaleidoscope of culture.<br />
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The World Cup train has quickly gathered speed: It is very pleasing that
intensive efforts are being made at all levels – in the federal states
(Länder), in the cities, at clubs and in individual initiatives - to
organise the framework programme for the World Cup 2006 in Germany.
Especially as we want to do more than make a first-rate job of organising
the World Cup. We want to create a football festival as "A time to make
friends" ('Welt zur Gast bei Freunden') and publicise our country beyond the
stadium circle."<br />
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Joseph Blatter, FIFA President:<br />
&nbsp;<br />
"Communication is especially important when the whole world is meeting. Art
is communication too. With the art posters that we - FIFA, the Organising
Committee of FIFA WM 2006 and the Federal Government - selected together, we
can communicate with people across the globe at an emotional level.<br />
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You see, football lives on and with the emotions that inspire artists to
continue creating new work, as is proven impressively by these special art
posters.<br />
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In a dignified manner, these works continue in the tradition of posters
that have been created by world-famous artists for the FIFA World Cup since
1930.<br />
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My thanks go to the Organising Committee of FIFA World Cup 2006 and the
Federal Government, which have made this particularly splendid initiative
possible in the first place."<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Franz Beckenbauer, President of the Organising Committee of FIFA World Cup
2006:<br />
&nbsp;<br />
"I am very pleased that world-famous artists from all continents are
concerning themselves with the subject of football. The fact that we are
able to present these works here today makes this day a completely special
and, for me, wonderful day. I am no child of sorrow and most of my days are
good days. Really happy days have become few and far between - but today is
one of those. At this point, I would like to thank Fedor Radmann, who had to
defend the idea of combining football with art and culture on many occasions
– I like the result. Our planning seems to be bearing fruit. More arts and
culture projects will follow and hopefully they will be as convincing as
this edition of art posters."<br />
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André Heller, curator of the Federal Government’s artistic and cultural
programme for FIFA World Cup 2006:<br />
&nbsp;<br />
"The artistic and cultural programme of the Federal Government for the FIFA
World Cup 2006 includes more than 40 projects. This edition of art posters
is a special highlight of this programme. With this edition, we have
achieved an impressive one-two between football and art."