Abstractionist Joe Datuin will represent the
Philippines in the sculpture category of the 2008 Olympic Sport
and Art Contest in Lausanne, Switzerland. His entry Dancing
Rings was officially acknowledged last March 6 as the winner in
the preliminary screening supervised by the Philippine Olympic
Committee.
Dancing Rings is an artistic combination of
the five Olympic rings and a ball. It stands four feet high and
is made of stainless steel. The rings rising upward reflect the
Olympic motto "Altius, Citius, Fortius" (Faster, Higher,
Stronger). Placed with a ball at the center, its fluid movement
is akin to a dragon dance symbolizing China, the host country of
the 2008 Olympics. It also symbolizes the theme of the Beijing
Olympics One World, One Dream.
In 1980, Datuin’s artwork received an Olympic
medal for being chosen as the official poster in the Moscow
Olympics besting 6,000 participants from all over the world.
Some of his paintings and sculptures are in the collections of
the National Museum, the GSIS Museo Ng Sining and Philippine
embassies and consulates abroad.
The 2008 Olympic Sport and Art Contest is organized by the
International Olympic Committee and its commission for culture
and sport education. The other winning entry for the graphic
design category is Dream for Goals by Edmar C. Colmo from
Iloilo.
