New Exhibition Explores the Intersection of Art and Football

The unique charm of the intersection between art and sport is currently being showcased in Manchester’s new exhibition, ‘Football City, Art United.’ The exhibition pairs international athletes with 11 contemporary artists, each collaboration yielding a new artwork that looks both within and beyond the pitch, reimagining the emotional, cultural, and political power of the Beautiful Game.

Staged within the industrial interior of the Aviva Studios, designed by OMA, the exhibition brings together the curatorial efforts of footballer Juan Mata, curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, and filmmaker Josh Wilding, presenting a wide range of painting, video, performance, architectural intervention, and playable installations.

Highlights of the exhibition include ‘The Playmaker,’ an immersive arena conceived by Stefano Boeri in collaboration with Sandro Mazzola and Eduardo Terrazas, which maps Mazzola’s legendary footwork into bold graphics. Alvaro Barrington and Raí’s work, ‘The Field (after Raí),’ abstracts the arena, while Paul Pfeiffer and Edgar Davids’ sound-light installation, ‘Crowds and Power,’ evokes the tension that looms between the locker room and the stadium. Extending outside the venue, Rose Wylie captures practice shots of English defender Lotte Wubben-Moy in streaks of vibrant hues, spilling onto the streets in a series of billboards.

‘Football City, Art United’ is now open to the public and will run through August 24, 2025.