Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait by Gordon and Parreno

Artpress launches an A-to-Z series on art and sport for the Paris 2024 Olympics, starting with 'Z for Zinédine.' The inaugural article by Marc Donnadieu examines Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno's 2006 video installation 'Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait.' Seventeen synchronized cameras filmed Zinédine Zidane during a Real Madrid vs. Villarreal CF match at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The work was exhibited at the Philharmonie de Paris in autumn 2023-24, with screens suspended in the exhibition space. Unlike online gaming simulations, the piece immerses viewers in the player's physical and emotional experience, enhanced by a soundscape by Nicolas Becker and a score by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai. Gordon (ranked 40th in the 2023 Kunstkompass Top 100) and Parreno (81st) anticipated the hyper-mediatization of football stars. The installation presents Zidane not as an icon but as a man in action, offering a polyphonic real-world counterpoint to virtual spaces.