Dimension: 29.7 (w) x 42.0 (h) cm | 11.7" x 16.5"
4 colour Risograph
Edition of 20
Signed and numbered
Printed on 220gsm uncoated acid-free paper
Subtle imperfections may vary
Knuckles & Notch (2025)
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A weapon-free form of martial arts, Judo is the most famous form of jacket wrestling the world over. Created in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō as a comprehensive martial art, it separated itself from its predecessor, Jujutsu, through an emphasis on ‘randori’, which translates to free sparring, instead of ‘kata’, which refers to pre-arranged forms. It rose in popularity due to tournaments held by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, which then resulted in it being adopted as the primary martial art for the department.

Born in 1860 in modern day Kobe, Kanō Jigorō was influenced by Samurai culture and the then development of jujutsu by masters of the art. Kanō stressed an importance in the principles of “ju” and “do”, gentleness and path, which illustrates the focus in the sport on efficient and non damaging techniques.

Despite being practiced for nearly a century, it only became an Olympic sport in 1964, with women's Judo only being included in 1992! Our elite Singaporean judoka have been involved at an Olympic level from the very start, with Kanapathy Moorthy competing in the very year Judo became an olympic sport, to Koh Eng Kian and Ho Yen Chye, taking part in subsequent years.
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When most people think of sports, it’s often just an activity — motion, movement, engagement of both body and mind. But as visual artists, we see sports as much more than just that. Sports is a form of expression, a performance that utilises our strengths in ways that are fundamentally human and that cannot be replicated by machines. Every athletic moment is a voluntary decision we make to engage our body in a unified act of expression.

Echoes of the Wave presents our exploration of sports in a new light. Through our art director Djohan, who has spent much of his life participating in competitive games such as floor ball, hockey and skateboarding, we are able to approach this project with an understanding of sports. For him, staying active is an essential part of his holistic artistic practice, by granting him a deeper understanding of the human body.

Creativity, culture and leisure shape the way that we experience the world and ourselves, while sports concurrently engage the body and mind on a physical and metaphysical level. Integrating the two illustrates that art is more than just an aesthetic. It's a core expression of life itself, and serves to deepen our understanding and layers of meaning to these moments of athletic performance.

Our exhibition seeks to capture this synergy through a series of illustrations that reflect the intensity and impact of sports. By freezing a moment in time, we weave together the contrast of light and shadow, evoking a sense of tremendous movement, while the rich textures and neutral tones ground the palette in reality. These artworks speak to the way iconic sporting moments ripple outwards, creating lasting impressions that live on well after the moment has passed.

We aim through our art, to reflect the profound connection between sports and culture, and how they inspire each other by sparking dialogue, uniting communities, and transcending cultural boundaries.
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