ADELAIDE HILLS.- Leading contemporary Australian artist Chris Wake has been commissioned to do a painting for the 2010 International Fine Art Project to celebrate the FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa.

It is one of the largest and most ambitious art collaborations in history. In a few months South Africa will host the FIFA world cup South Africa – the biggest and most-watched sporting event in the world. In the eighty years of the FIFA World Cup fine art has never been licensed by FIFA until now.

Artists from each of the 32 countries that qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa have been invited to participate in this ground-breaking global exhibition. Brands United, a German art marketing company will publish limited edition signed prints from the paintings and the paintings will be exhibited in London, Munich, Tokyo, Barcelona and USA. The original paintings will then be Auctioned by FIFA later this year.

Adelaide Hills artist Chris Wake, one of 30 finalists for the 2008 Sovereign Asian Art Prize out of 1100 nominated artists throughout Asia, has finished the painting titled “Cockatoo At The Great Debate”. The painting includes a strange raft of characters with Nolanesque eyes debating the football match.

Born in 1960 Wake has had more than 12 solo exhibitions and 40 group exhibitions some of which have been sell out shows. Chris Wake studied Fine Art at Adelaide Central School of Art and has been painting since 1976. Wake`s paintings are now much sought after by corporate and private collectors in Australia and internationally