In ''Football City, Art United,' Artists and Athletes Reimagine the Beautiful Game
While art and sport may move in differently – in the studio and on the field – a shared energy pulses through them; fueled by drive, discipline and instinct, both disciplines not only give us a language for how to understand the world, but how to move through it.
ForFootball City, Art United, a new exhibition in Manchester, international athletes are paired 11 contemporary artists, with each collaboration bringing forth a new artwork that looks within and beyond the pitch to reimagine the emotional, cultural and political charge of the Beautiful Game.
Staged within the industrial interior of theOMA-designedAviva Studios, the exhibition joins the curatorial efforts of footballer Juan Mata, curatorHans Ulrich Obristand filmmaker Josh Wilding in an expansive showcase of painting, video, performance, architectural intervention and playable installations.
Highlights include 'The Playmaker,' an immersive arena conceived byStefano Boeriwith Sandro Mazzola and Eduardo Terrazas, mapping Mazzola's legendary footwork into bold graphic space.Alvaro Barringtonand Raí's 'The Field (after Raí)' brings the arena into abstraction, whilePaul PfeifferandEdgar Davids' sound-light installation,Crowds and Power, evokes the tension that looms between the locker room and the stadium. Extending outside of the venue,Rose Wylierenders practice shots of English defender Lotte Wubben-Moy's in streaks of brilliant hues, spilling them onto the streets in a series of billboards.
Football City, Art Unitedis now on view through August 24, 2025. Head to Factory International's website to purchase tickets and learn more about the featured works.
Aviva StudiosWater St,Manchester M3 4JQ,United Kingdom
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