Painting made with coffee is part of the exhibition with more than 100 works about football in various parts of the world
The plastic artist Patrick Rozario, from 57 years, grew up in a Borneo forest and remembers, who, since always, he is passionate about football.
“My only toy was a ball and I used to play football with my friends in the forest.. My family also loves football and, therefore, when I learned that the World Cup would be in Qatar, I decided that I would honor the sport with a series of paintings depicting grassroots football, the one played on the outskirts, slums and even forests, to show that real football is not just in the stadiums”, account.
Passionate about Brazilian football, he decided to honor the Brazilian player Richarlison and painted the great goal that the center forward scored in the debut of the Selection against Serbia. “I am a great admirer of Brazilian football and I follow the matches of the national team.. That goal was something incredible, that needed to be eternalized”, said.
The painting, now, part of the Grassroots Football Painting project brings together 100 paintings made with watercolor and coffee that portray not only the passion for the ball, but the various types of games, characters and culture from various countries. Rozario resorted to amateur and professional photographers around the world in search of good stories and unusual images..
“Through these paintings, I want to remind people that every professional player started at the grassroots level. Grassroots football is also important to support millions of people around the world in maintaining healthy lifestyles. My goal is for millions of people to see, identify, appreciate and recognize ordinary people and the places where football is played, where dreams are born and champions are created”, sums up the artist.
soul and freedom
Rozario says that the project portrays not only scenes of nostalgia, but the soul of football . “This is where it all started., in the alleys, in the villages, in rice paddies and slums. This work is about the soul of football, football without rules, without reins, no restrictions or whistles from the referees. Sometimes, even without a ball: rolled newspaper, rags and anything the kids can kick around. Monges, ladies, nuns, elderly, children and, practically anyone, fewer professional soccer players”, says.
Among the characters immortalized by Rozario is Qhourinnisa Endang Wahyudi, a young Muslim woman who created freestyle football and juggles the ball wearing a hijab. The painter tells that the girl, native of malaysia, managed to mark his territory in a male-dominated sport.
Another modality portrayed by the painter is pok-a-tok, a kind of ancestor of football. The sport was created by the Mayans around 1.400 aC. Players play on a sloping field and can only use their legs (not even feet are allowed) to try to get a ball to cross an arc. “This game has a ritualistic character that represents a battle between good and evil for the future of the world.. Before departure, participants, who wear special clothes and have their bodies painted, pray to Hunahpú, Mayan god who was sacrificed after losing the game”, Rosario explains.
Brasil
Rozário says that among his works, thirteen scenes from Brazil were portrayed, since the “country breathes football”. He was impressed when he saw the photo of a soccer game played on a court built on a Petrobras platform.. “This is the level of commitment of the Brazilian government to sport”, account.
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Other images that impressed him were the Football of the Brides, at Praia do Gonzaga, in Santos; that of a game between inmates at Fundação Casa and that of an indigenous person from the Paresí tribe, jogando Jikunahati (in which the participant uses the head instead of the feet to manipulate the ball) during the World Indigenous Peoples Games, Palmas city.
unusual naked
A swim in Antarctica; a game in front of the pyramids of egypt; an Italian nun turned commentator; the Swamp Football created in Finland and even an image of a father and son playing with camels in the desert of Qatar. All these scenes became art by the hands of Rozario, which intends to exhibit its paintings at World Cup events. The artist lives in the country of the world. “Some of the paintings were on display during the key draw, but the idea is to show the world what grassroots football is like in different cultures. This is the way I found to pay homage to a sport that I have loved since I was a child.”, the firm.
Unesco
Patric explained that the works will be scanned and made available in various media, among them a book. At the end of July, the artist presented the project to the director of the UNESCO Office for the Gulf States and Yemen in Doha., Salah Khaled. “My vision is to harness the power of grassroots football and enrich the lives of millions of people who play or enjoy the game.. The aim is for this project to be used to promote the values of sport, sports diplomacy, cultural diversity, gender equality, social and educational benefits, explains the artist.
The 100 Patric Rozario's paintings can be seen on his Instagram profile.
