Art: World Cup South Africa 2010 Posters

World Cup 2010 Posters [Africa Inspired]  

Granted the World Cup 2010 held in South Africa has long since come and gone, but while searching online for African patterns for a project I am working on I followed a link to some amazing digital artwork posters, showcased on the website Specky Boy, that were created to celebrate the event and pay homage to elements of African cultures and traditions. Although I am not a footie fan, I did catch some of the action on the pitch, especially when it came to charting the progress of African teams. The series of posters was an experimental personal project by Greek illustrator and visual designer, Charis Tsevis who was inspired by the heritage of African patterns and contemporary football culture.

The project enabled Charis to explore the diversity in African culture, traditions and history; a virtual journey which is ongoing. Featuring some of the Continent’s; and in some cases the world’s greatest football stars; motifs, iconic African symbols, national flags and traditional fabrics are just some of the elements brought together to form the overall visuals. The level of detail is incredible, I can imagine that every time you looked at one you would discover something new; and the contrasting colours and different patterns help convey the excitement that surrounded the event, in addition to a vibrant and energetic Continent, one with a long-held passion for the ‘beautiful game’.

Didier Drogba, Côte d’Ivoire

Alex Song, Cameroon

Benjani Mwaruwari, Zimbabwe

Mickaël Essien, Ghana

Samuel Eto’o, Cameroon

Steven Pienaar, South Africa

Emmanuel Adebayor, Togo

[Image credits: Charis Tsevis]

These posters transcend the period of the event for which they were created, and would make a wonderful gift for die-hard football fans; and would work well in interior spaces, blown up to a large-scale and mounted in a beautiful complimentary frame. Viewed from afar the artwork resembles woven fabrics, akin to tapestries. Visit Charis’s Flickr page to see more subjects. 

Additional details:
For further information about Charis Tsevis visit: www.tsevis.com