Legacy? What legacy?
Tracey Emin, Martin Creed and Bridget Riley have just unveiled their designs for London 2012 Olympic posters, and, golly, are they a sight. All are instantly recognisable as works by the artists in question and therefore do a good job of promoting each artist's own 'brand'. Otherwise there's little merit to speak of, apart from Sarah Morris' architectural abstract [below left].
In addititon to a poster design, 2001 Turner Prize-winner Martin Creed has also contributed one of his characteristic brainwaves to the London 2012 Festival, which consists of encouraging everybody in the country to ring a bell at the same time. Yawn.
The list of artists – chosen by a panel of various executives and chaired by Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota – also includes all the rest of the usual Tate suspects: Fiona Banner (last year's Duveens commission at Tate Britain); one-time Tate trustees Michael Craig-Martin and Chris “conflict of interest?” Ofili; current Tate trustee Bob and Roberta Smith; 1985 Turner Prize-winner Howard Hodgkin; the 1996 Turner shortlisted Gary Hume; Anthea Hamilton; and Rachael Whiteread (subject of a Tate Britain exhibition in 2010).
One wonders how much these artists were paid for their scrawls, and how much of it came out of taxpayers' pockets (through the Arts Council) and how much through everybody's favourite oil giant BP. East London's Olympic 'legacy'? Yet more public money for Dame Tracey Emin...
The posters will be on show as part of a free exhibition at Tate Britain in 2012.
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