23 soccer ball sculptures installed across NYC and NJ ahead of World Cup
All photos courtesy of ARTS 14C
Twenty-three soccer ball sculptures are popping up across New York City and New Jersey to celebrate the arrival of the FIFA World Cup this week. The initiative, dubbed “Art of the Game,” includes large-scale public artworks by internationally recognized artists on major streets, parks, museums, and watch party locations across all five boroughs and New Jersey. The sculptures will remain on view through Labor Day; 12 of the works will be installed permanently, and five will be auctioned for charity through Christie’s.
The project’s reach to some of the city’s most prominent museums is due to support from the late Agnes Gund, who died in September. “Art of the Game” marks Gund’s final philanthropic project; she was not asked to contribute financially, but instead to help connect organizers with partners at leading museums.
Participating artists were nominated by institutions including the MoMA, the Whitney Museum, and the Brooklyn Museum. ARTS 14C and the FIFA World Cup 2026 New York/New Jersey Host Committee organized the exhibition.
“The FIFA World Cup is the largest shared moment on earth–and that’s exactly where art belongs,” Robinson Holloway, CEO and Founder of ARTS 14C, said.
“The powerful thing about public art is that it belongs to everyone, just like the beautiful game. Art and soccer both cross borders, ignite passion, and bring people together in ways few other things can.”
Sculptures from artists Katherine Bernhardt and Hank Willis Thomas will be installed at Rockefeller Plaza in front of Christie’s, while Futura 2000’s piece will be placed in Jersey City’s Journal Square.
Melissa McGill’s work will be on view at Hoboken’s Maxwell Pier, and Edgar Heap of Birds’ sculpture will be located at Staten Island’s SIUH Community Park.
Other installations include Madeline Hollander in Asbury Park; Kevin Beasley in Newark’s Lincoln Park; Wyatt Kahn at Gotham Park near the Brooklyn Bridge; Eddie Martinez at Newark Riverfront Park; Mario Ayala at Pershing Square Plaza near Grand Central; and Leo Castañeda near the Whitney at Gansevoort Landing.
Additional works include Taína H. Cruz at The Yard in New Brunswick; Fred Wilson at Hudson Yards; Ronny Quevedo at El Museo del Barrio; Bony Ramirez at MetLife Stadium; Tomokazu Matsuyama at Columbus Circle; Bassim Al-Shaker at Exchange Place in Jersey City; Matthew Day Jackson at the Brooklyn Museum; and Gabriel Lester at Paseo Park in Jackson Heights.
Finally, Cemille Sahin’s work will be installed at Alianza Dominicana Plaza in Washington Heights; Gabriel Fontana at Fordham Plaza; Dan Funderburgh at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City; and Nyugen Smith at Jersey City City Hall.
Hank Willis Thomas, Katherine Bernhardt, Fred Wilson, Bony Ramirez, and Tomokazu Matsuyama’s works will be auctioned, while the remaining non-permanent sculptures will be sold privately, with proceeds split between the artists and ARTS 14C.
“The World Cup is going to put an enormous global spotlight on our region, and we saw this as a chance to bring together artists whose work can reflect the scale, energy, and diversity of this moment,” Alex Lasry, CEO of the FIFA World Cup 2026 NY/NJ Host Committee, said.
“We want this initiative to leave something behind after the final match is played—creating pieces and experiences that continue to live in neighborhoods and public spaces as part of the tournament’s lasting cultural legacy in NY and NJ,” he added.
The sculptures were fabricated at Powerhouse Arts in Gowanus, Brooklyn, and assembled at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City. Each modular sculpture features 12 pentagon and 20 hexagon aluminum composite panels arranged in a traditional soccer ball pattern over a stainless-steel interior frame.
The 32 panels are designed for painting, mixed media, or UV-printed artwork. For example, Bernhardt spray-painted her piece in her signature style, while Matsuyama submitted high-resolution graphic designs for UV printing.
RELATED:
