Fiona Banner’s print features a nude study of a Paralympic athlete, with text. Overlaid on the image, the text is arranged to define the shapes and forms of the body – ‘every nerve waiting’ and ‘one calf bulging muscle’ – conveying the tension and extraordinary physicality of a body about to compete. Banner commented that she ‘liked the idea of comparing the athlete to a superhero, with some extraordinary prosthetic gift. Looking at an athlete naked’ she stated ‘made them powerful and vulnerable at once’. This work is part of a set of limited-edition prints, commissioned from some of the UK’s most critically acclaimed artists to celebrate London hosting the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympics. A set of these prints was presented to the Government Art Collection.
