Futura 2000 and 22 Other Artists Paint Giant Soccer Balls for FIFA World Cup Public Art Project

A 23-sculpture public art project titled "Art of the Game" has taken over New York and New Jersey, timed to the FIFA World Cup. Artists including Katherine Bernhardt, Hank Willis Thomas, Fred Wilson, and Futura 2000 each received six-foot steel soccer balls as canvases, nominated by local arts institutions. The initiative was set in motion by the late patron Agnes Gund before her 2025 death. Futura 2000, a former subway graffiti artist and collaborator with Virgil Abloh and Rei Kawakubo, was nominated by Brooklyn Museum director Anne Pasternak. His sculpture is permanently installed at Journal Square in Jersey City. The project is organized by nonprofit ARTS 14C and the World Cup's regional host committee, with works on view through Labor Day. Futura 2000's design is based on his older painting "Sports in Space with Air Force Blue" with black blocks. He cited Bassim Al Shaker's sculpture as his favorite.