The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has unveiled a partnership with digital art platform Artchild and artist Honor Titus to introduce fan-customizable digital and physical tennis posters at the upcoming 2023 Nitto ATP Finals.
The collaboration, titled POSTER, allows fans to customize their own versions of the official Nitto ATP Finals poster on Artchild’s digital platform with color palettes curated by various artists. The physical posters are then printed and distributed to buyers, along with an NFT collectible duplicate minted on Polygon, an Ethereum scaling network.
In addition, singles competitors at the Nitto ATP Finals will create their own distinctive poster variations that will be auctioned off for charity during the event. The money raised will contribute to an environmental project that advocates the development of green spaces in Turin, the tournament’s host city.
In a press release, the ATP said the collaboration between itself, Titus and Artchild aims to continue a “long tradition of iconic sports posters collected by fans from generation to generation.”
Los Angeles-based artist Honor Titus has been chosen to design the official poster, commemorating the season-ending tournament scheduled between November 12 and 19.
Titus, known for the surreal and expressive iconography in his often tennis-focused paintings, said in the release that tennis has been a deep source of inspiration for him.
“It [tennis] is so rich in history and elegant nuances that it is an excellent subject for the artist,” Titus said in the release. “The lines between intensity, order and madness are as thick as the service line.”
Mark Epps, ATP director of communications and Web3, said POSTERS was inspired by ATP’s desire to “reimagine one of the most iconic collectibles in tennis culture: the tournament poster.”
“POSTERS is about connecting fans to important tennis moments,” Epps said in the release. “We were inspired by the idea of a creative experience that gives everyone the opportunity to be part of the story.”
During the tournament, a selection of fan-made poster designs will be on display in the Pala Alpitour arena. The exclusive poster designed by Titus will be offered exclusively during the 2023 finals and will cost $50, including shipping for both the NFT and physical print versions. It can be purchased online and at the Nitto ATP Finals Fan Village.
POSTERS is not ATP’s first NFT project. Last November, the association joined forces with generative art platform Art Blocks, in collaboration with artist Martin Grasser, to introduce the digital art series ‘Love’, which was inspired by competition data from the 2022 finals. Owners of the ‘Love’ NFT pieces from that collection are eligible to receive one of the 2023 customizable posters at no charge. In July this year, British tennis player Andy Murray, tennis tournament giant Wimbledon and digital artist Refik Anadol jointly launched an official Wimbledon NFT on Ethereum.
