Welcome to the Quadrennial World Cup Art Championships

 

QWCAC are global art exhibits that open in tandem with the quadrennial World Cup Football Championships.

 

Every four years in a host country, thirty-two international artists will merge artworks in concert with World Cup Football. In the spirit of play and competition, the quadrennial exhibits celebrate cultures and myriad sport histories; unexpectedly, distinct audiences share in a dynamic tradition fostering world class art evolving alongside world class football.

 

In the culturally unifying tradition

that has existed for eighty-eighty years, thirty-two qualifying international football teams converge to play and compete.  Together in that custom, thirty-two qualifying international artists will merge artworks in Soul:2018 World Cup Art Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia,  in Daedalus Knights: 2022 World Cup Art Championships in Qatar, in the U.S.A, Mexico, and Canada in 2026, and then every four years in a new host country thereafter. Also featured in the championships are an additional 32 international artists from any country representing the diaspora.   And In addition, every single artist that submits an application will have their artwork seen and featured in digital pop up exhibits that will be staged in surprising spaces and venues throughout the cities of the games in the host countries.  The exhibits function as visual representations that celebrate cultural diversities in union, and the rich histories surrounding the sport of football as seen through the artist’s eyes and creativity. 

​

Our goal is to bring art and artists together with global audiences of both world class football and audiences of world class art in dynamic and unexpected ways.  The art aims to open dialogues across disciplines through its narratives; embracing histories, politics, and  myriad artistic expressions of cultures in relation to a global sport tradition.

​

 The biggest potential for impact is one of artistic, cultural, and social exchange. The event opens in different countries of the world, features a variety of international artists, and exhibits myriad works investigating distinct cultural content, making it highly accessible to audiences of all ages and nations.

The exhibit travels; offering a surprising artistic experience of an engaging global narrative relative to the merging of the artists’ singular visions.

​

Let me tell you about our project.  There are thirty two participating football teams in the world cup football championships, and for our exhibits, one artist or artist team from every participating country will be chosen through a special jury process to represent their countries team. In addition thirty-two artists or artist teams will be chosen from any country representing the diaspora in sport and art. The artists will submit an application that includes images, resumes, and artists statements and they will be grouped according to their country of origin. Each of the 32 international juries will choose the artists or artist teams to represent their county's team.

​

The artists will be asked to use football as the technical support for the invention of new mediums that they will use for the creation of their artworks.  Specifically, the artists will be provided a ball or balls that has seen play by their team, and they will be asked to deconstruct these materials and then reconstruct them to create art in any medium that expresses their culture and how it relates to the sport of football.  The merging of the art pieces in exhibits function as  visual representations and narratives that are culturally and historically significant as a whole.

 

The exhibits will be held every four years in a venue in the host country of the World Cup Football; near to the stadium of the matches, making it accessible to the audiences of the games, the residents of the host country, and to tourists alike.  The exhibits will run for the duration of the games, and a world cup artist will be awarded a grand prize

and a world cup artist cup.  There will be an additional four artists who will be awarded runner up prizes, and a "Ties that Bind" Prize will be awarded from the thirty two artists representing the diaspora.  The best part is that every single artist who submits an application will have their artwork seen and featured in digital exhibits staged in surprising places and venues in the cities of the games in the host country.

In addition to prizes, global exposure, and exhibition opportunities the artists will also receive sixty percent of the proceeds from the auction of their work. 

                                             :) keep reading :)

​

Our exhibits focus on the ties that bind, and nothing opens up the conversation more than ideas surrounding the diaspora.  There are many reasons why a person might have cultural ties to a country other than the one where they reside.  It might be a personal story, a family history, an origin of birth, or a political perspective where a country has undergone a complete transformation to become something different.  Often in the sport of football a team member will play for a country that is different from his country of birth.  This in turn creates an audience of diverse cultural affiliation with a country and team that would otherwise seem completely disconnected.  We want to honour this and the dialog surrounding diaspora and football through artistic expression.  So in addition to the thirty-two world cup artists, thirty -two international artists from any country will also be chosen to represent that demographic. These artists will deconstruct and reconstruct their materials in the same way, but their departures and arrivals will be from one of dislocation and the ties that bind.  A "Ties that Bind" award will be presented.  We anticipate that many of the narratives of these works will be intimate and heart felt.

​

Every four years: 

At the close of each exhibit, the world cup artworks will be made available to travel together to museums and galleries globally for four years;  after which time, the work will be auctioned off individually; making room for the next round of world cup artists to participate in the next World Cup Art Championships related to world cup football in the new host country. The process will repeat and the World Cup Art Championship traditions and artists will grow alongside the evolution of World Cup Football.  By reaching and surpassing our goal we are striving to show the dedication and merit to earn an affiliation with FIFA; and like the Venice Biennale and Art Basel, to become an artistic mainstay and tradition that fosters art and artists, and the recapturing of traditions via a new global arena and medium for artistic expression that investigates diverse cultures and grows alongside the evolution of world class football.  In addition to prizes, global exposure, and exhibition opportunities the artists will receive sixty percent of the proceeds from the auction of their work. 

​

The Challenges: We face many of the challenges associated with creating a global art niche and staging global art events.  But to name a thing is to give it power.  It is better for me to say that through my many years of experience in the arts, I have learned that organization, communication, complete dedication of heart and mind, and unceasing hard work are the keys to success.  We are dedicated and excited to present to a global audience a dynamic, engaging, artistically, culturally, and contemporarily significant art experience surrounding the merging of cultures in the sport of football.

Please visit our For Artists page to submit an application and our Donate Page to support!

 

As we grow, we anticipate many significant future opportunities for artists and supporters of the arts.We hope that the Quadrennial World Cup Art Championships will find its way into your hearts as a worthy and important artistic presence, event, and global avenue for artists and art.

​

Thank You For Your Time and Support!  Please share world cup art with your friends and colleagues!

Also, we will be updating this page as we move forward  so please check back with us frequently!

GGGGGGOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!!!! :)