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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While not the oldest sport, Tennis is most definitely one of the more recognisable sports in the world. Accessible to all members of society of any age and ability, it can be played by anyone able to hold a racket!

Historians believe that the ancient origin of tennis lies in Medieval northern France where a game similar to handball was played. Louis X of France was tired of playing outdoors and had an indoor enclosed court built, and in usual fashion, this royal tennis court spread to royal palaces across Europe.

Rackets only came into play around the 16th century, which is also when it started to be known as Tennis. Coming from the French term ‘tenez’ which can be translated as ‘hold’, ‘receive’ or ‘take’, which were often said by the server to their opponent. Fast forward a few centuries and the modern form of the sport developed in Birmingham, England, in the late 19th century. Mostly played on garden lawns, it was played in conjunction with other upper-class field games such as croquet.

While the Western world has their Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams, we have our Roy Hobbs, Jerall Yasin and Lela Zainal! Becoming the highest ranked player in Singaporean history, Roy Hobbs has certainly slammed his way into immortality.
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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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