For as long as I can remember, I have been trapped in a torrid, scandalous, hilariously painful, and deeply passionate love affair with the goddamn World Cup. This exhibition is my love letter to that beautiful insanity.
Every four years, I surrender my mustached heart to the madness. Before I Die, I tell myself, One Day We Win. I chant Sí Se Puede like a prayer, scream No Era Penal like a freaking curse, and worship at the altar of Mexico 86, where I witnessed, inside Estadio Azteca, no less, the mighty Maradona become both a devil and, ultimately, a god.
In FUTBOL! FUTBOL!! FUTBOL!!!, futbolistas become mythological creatures, mascots become cursed idols, and every match turns into a banned telenovela full of betrayal, redemption, amazing haircuts, miracle goals, and very questionable life choices.
Controversial Mexican heroes abound: Hugo Sánchez, Jorge Campos, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, El Matador, Chicharito, and Ochoa! Global legends who broke hearts and rewrote history include Pelé, Maradona, Messi, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, David Beckham, Kylian Mbappé, Pibe Valderrama, and René Higuita.
And here too are the glorious weirdos of World Cup folklore: Juanito, Naranjito, World Cup Willie, Tip and Tap, Footix, Gauchito, Zakumi, Striker, Merlin, and Zayu Jaguar. Mascots so strange and wonderful they feel less designed than summoned by ancient gods.
As a Mexican kid from Mexico City who grew up in Tijuana, the World Cup was never just a
sporting event. It was mythmaking. It was religion. It was family history. It was La Chiquitibum
one second and heartbreak the next. It was Hasta La Muerte devotion. It was the dream of Super Mexa flying into battle while La FIFA laughed from a golden throne.
These 39 paintings celebrate the sacred and the absurd: the heroes, monsters, dreamers, heartbreakers, and fans who keep coming back, even after the game has destroyed them. Because loving the World Cup means loving something that breaks your heart over and over again... and still showing up in full face paint, screaming like a lunatic, believing in miracles. May this hilarious and beautiful pain never end!
OPENING Friday July 3 at 7pm at @laluzdejesus Gallery in Hollywood. ALL ARE WELCOME!!!
AKIRA is officially returning to theaters in 4K and IMAX.
One of the greatest anime films ever made deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible. In theaters September 4.
La Selección Mexicana ya subió un edit con la canción “Aquí no es así” de Caifanes, sí se la van a poner el domingo en el Estadio Azteca🇲🇽❤️
Aura total✨
🤯🇩🇪 Es la PRIMERA VEZ EN LA HISTORIA que Alemania pierde una tanda de penales en la Copa del Mundo. Sí, había ganado todas.
Para dimensionar lo de Paraguay. 😮💨🇵🇾