LONDON, October 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Installation images can be found here: https://we.tl/t-WJ0i2CvCyo
Copyright: IOC/D.Thompson

International Olympic Committee has commissioned internationally celebrated conceptual artist Leandro Erlich to create a large-scale, temporary installation to bring to life the Olympic values.

Known for playing with human perception, Erlich presents 'Ball Game', an ensemble of five large-scale hyper-realistic sport balls (football, basketball, tennis, volleyball and golf), that encourages the audience to experience the delight of moving beyond the everyday and into the festive terrain of Erlich's humour and imagination. The work was first displayed at the Olympism in Action Forum, outside of the Exhibition and Convention Centre in the Recoleta neighbourhood, where members of the Olympic Movement and civil society discussed key topics related to sport and society. On Sunday morning, October 7, spectators were invited to move Erlich's ensemble together through the city's public space to the Parque Tres de Febrero at the city's Planetarium Galileo Galilei in the neighbourhood of Palermo in a performative action. Only through a true collective effort can spectators get the monumental balls rolling.

"We were intrigued by Mr. Erlich's concept of a work that offers a platform for interaction. His installation reflects the Olympic ideal of humanity in movement in celebration of sporting achievement, and also as the Olympic Movement unites to address important issues relevant to the future of sport and society during the Olympism in Action Forum."
- Francis Gabet, Director of the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage.

"The sport balls are a simple visual expression of the unifying spirit of friendship, excellence, and respect…. faced with the challenge of moving these monumental objects, collaboration and fraternity become our natural response. This game invites us to move forward together, inspired by the Olympic values."
- Leandro Erlich.

"In Buenos Aires sports and art are passionately lived and are an essential part of our identity, this is the opportunity for all of us to be inspired by Olympic values and to share this celebration with the world."
- Enrique Avogadro, Culture Minister of the City of Buenos Aires.

While the commission is fully funded by the IOC, the city worked in close collaboration with the artist's team on the permitting for public space needed to accommodate the project.

Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage
The Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage is the IOC’s driving force behind the international promotion and dissemination of Olympism in the fields of culture, heritage and education.

SOURCE Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage