PRESS RELEASE: BGWC Collaborates with International Artist Zack Kitnick
PRESS RELEASEBackgammon World Championship 2023 Monte Carlo, MonacoBACKGAMMON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP COLLABORATES WITH INTERNATIONAL ARTIST ZAK KITNICK TO BRING UNIQUE WORKS OF ART TO THE CENTER OF THIS YEAR’S MONTE CARLO TOURNAMENT
Monte Carlo, Monaco - June X, 2023 - The Backgammon World Championship (BGWC) is excited to announce a groundbreaking collaboration with New York artist, Zak Kitnick. The tournament's championship final will be played on Kitnick’s handcrafted design.
Kitnick's artworks are in the collections of the The Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMCO), Geneva among others.
An amateur backgammon player himself, Kitnick brought the game into his art practice for the first time in 2018 with an exhibition titled DOUBLES, which featured wall works and sculptures that included playable backgammon boards of his own design.
The BGWC board for 2023 will be a one-of-a-kind playable work of art designed collaboratively by Kitnick, the world number-one-rated-player Mochy, and CEO of BGWC, Marc Olsen, who is also a Grandmaster.
"I've been working with the motif of the backgammon board for years, but to make a playable board that is going to be used by the best players in the world, that’s a whole other ballgame. Different structure, different materials, different colors, etc. It's a backgammon board, it’s a sculpture."
Kitnick’s board utilized exquisite materials, including French Alran leather and high grade ostrich skin. The checkers, a fundamental element of the game, are made of lightweight aluminum with a 'caviar textured' goat leather from Alran.
“Few people have played backgammon on as many boards as I have,” said Mochy. “After visiting Zak in the studio, it’s clear he’s going to create something unlike anything I’ve seen before. And, we’re keeping playability top of mind. How one’s arms rest on the ostrich skin, the weight of the checkers - we are making sure that everything will be perfect. Between that and the incredible metal work he’s converting into this year’s trophy, I’m going to be heading to Monte Carlo with even greater ambition to win!”
Kitnick is converting one of his metal marquetry backgammon artworks into this year’s championship trophy. Made from bronze, brass, copper, galvanized steel and stainless steel, it is from a series of works that Kitnick has been holding onto for his own collection.
Kitnick's collaboration with BGWC extends to a set of four paintings inspired by the four quadrants of the backgammon board. Similar backgammon-based paintings have found their way into significant collections and institutions, including ten large-format works that Zak was recently commissioned to create for Colette, one of New York City's newest and most exclusive business clubs, on the 37th floor of the GM Building.
"The partnership with Zak Kitnick represents a significant evolution in how we present backgammon to the world. This collaboration aligns with our mission to create a prestigious, exciting, and one-of-a-kind event for players and enthusiasts alike," said Marc Olsen from BGWC.
Kitnick will also be making a limited edition of nine additional boards of similar design and quality, which will be offered exclusively through BGWC and Backgammon Galaxy. Kitnick's championship board, the limited edition backgammon boards, and works of art, will be available for acquisition after the tournament.
For more information about the partnership, please visit www.bgwc.com or email zakfineart@bwcmc.com.
About Backgammon World Championship
The Backgammon World Championship (BGWC) is an annual international event that aims to provide a prestigious, exciting, and accessible platform for backgammon players and enthusiasts. With this collaboration, BGWC hopes to expand the appeal of the game by bringing together the worlds of backgammon and fine art.
Press Contact:
Joey Flores
Managing Director, Inversion Art
press@inversionart.com