The article reviews the exhibition "Fútbol y Arte. Esa misma emoción" at Museo Jumex in Mexico City, timed to coincide with the start of the World Cup. Curated by Guillermo Santamarina, the show brings together nearly one hundred works by sixty artists—mostly Mexican—who explore the intersections between contemporary art and football as a cultural, social, and aesthetic phenomenon. Highlights include commissions by Tercerunquinto, Diego Berruecos, Iñaki Bonillas, and Sofía Echeverri, alongside pieces by Damián Ortega, Gabriel Garcilazo, Melanie Smith, and Rafael Ortega. The exhibition features painting, sculpture, installation, photography, and video, with a museography by architect Mauricio Rocha that transforms the galleries using recognizable football elements. Outside, Tercerunquinto's installation "Tribunas" (2026) uses recycled seats from the Estadio Azteca to create a public, performative space.
The exhibition matters because it positions football not merely as a sport but as a powerful lens for examining contemporary society—addressing themes of gender, identity, community, and globalization. By staging this show during the World Cup, Museo Jumex taps into a global moment of collective attention, demonstrating how art can engage with popular culture to reach broader audiences. The curatorial and architectural choices emphasize spectacle and communal experience, reinforcing the idea that football and art share an ability to generate emotion, build collective imaginaries, and transcend borders. This exhibition is a significant example of how museums can activate public space and foster dialogue between high art and mass culture.