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Sculpture by Iris Viviana Perez. Drawing by Rebeca Haseltine.

This year’s Olympics will once again run in conjunction with Artiade, the “Olympics of Art,” which has been running alongside the athletics since Atlanta ‘96. Seeking a cultural counterbalance for the increasing commercialization of the Olympics, Artiade’s concept was taken from the ancient Olympic Games, in which athletes and artists, although representing two different aspects of society, were considered to be equal in merit. Using art as communication, Artiade conducts “meetings of nations,” providing a forum for artists to present their cultural identity. Past events featured 172 artists from 78 countries, showing works in areas of painting, sculpture and video installation; this year’s art categories have expanded to film, short film and photography, with exhibitions held in Olympic City in Beijing and Los Angeles.