Football Art Prize Opening Night
It was a privilege to get to travel to Sheffield for the opening of the Football Art Prize Exhibition at the Millennium Gallery. It was a delight to see, on the eve of a world cup, that this is an exhibition about individual relationships to football which have nothing to do with the corruption and corporate greed that is FIFA’s showcase event.
This was also happening the day after the utterly abhorrent displays of violent, racist thuggery in Belfast, and I was carrying that shame and sadness with me as I travelled over to the exhibition. Although we know football has a long way to go in addressing racism and inequality, this exhibition shows individuals celebrating their heritage and identities through their relationship with the game, and offers hope that, at grassroots levels, people are still finding and building supportive communities through football.
To read more about the exhibition and see all the shortlisted works visit footballartprize.com
The exhibition runs until September at the Millennium Gallery, Sheffield before travelling to the Football Museum, Manchester later in the year.
