Football meets art at Par amour du jeu exhibition

BETC Paris celebrates the cultural and social impact of football at its Magasins généraux space, with an exhibition featuring neon signs, a fantasy floating stadium and a blanket made of club scarves

Pierre et Gilles, Le footballeur blessé (Frédéric Lenfant), 1998 © Pierre et Gilles. Courtesy the artists and Galerie Templon, Paris/Brussels

The Par amour du jeu exhibition explores how various artists – both established and up-and-coming – have tapped into our football obsession. It’s the first exhibition hosted in BETC Paris’s canal-side warehouse in Pantin, which it renovated and moved into in 2016. It hopes to establish Magasins généraux as a cultural destination for the city, partnering with brands to explore the boundaries between creativity and business.

The exhibition celebrates football mania in all its forms, with a collection of work that ranges from sculpture and photography to installation and illustration. Highlights include Claude Lévêque’s neon hooligan sign, Alexandre Perigot’s blanket woven from club scarves, and Boris Mikhaïlov’s bizarre set of photographs – which see the ball take on a life of its own.

Julie Joubert, Isaac, 2018; © Julie Joubert. Courtesy the artist
Alexandre Perigot, OLÉ OLA, 2008; © Alexandre Perigot. Courtesy the artist
Boris Mikhaïlov, Football, 2000; © Boris Mikhaïlov; Courtesy the artist, Galerie Barbara Weiss, Berlin, and Suzanne Tarasieve, Paris
Romain Vicari, Rumo ao Hexa !, 2018; © Romain Vicari. Courtesy the artist.

An on-site football pitch gives exhibition-goers the chance to have a kick about, and the space will also be showing live World Cup matches as well as video art and live performance.

In line with BETC Paris’ mission to blur art and commerce, the exhibition is sponsored by La Poste, which has decked exhibition guides out in vintage referee shirts.

Amélie Scotta, Stade, Éléphants blancs series, 2015. Photo. Isabelle Scotta; © Amélie Scotta. Courtesy the artist and Under Construction gallery, Paris
Installation view; Photo: Tadzio; © Magasins généraux
Installation view; Photo: Tadzio; © Magasins généraux
Installation view; Photo: Tadzio; © Magasins généraux
Installation view; Photo: Tadzio; © Magasins généraux

Par amour du jeu 1998-2018 is at Magasins généraux until 5 August; magasinsgeneraux.com; Read all of CR’s World Cup 2018 coverage here