Finland born visual artist SOPHIA EHRNROOTH has documented young Scandinavian football players since 2013. She has exhibited the first part of this series in Helsinki in 2015.
The exhibition consists of 20 photographic acrylic prints and one multimedia work. The exhibition is inspired by the victories and losses in the football fields and the dream of championship. Her son’s strong dedication and passion for football inspired her to dive into the world of the football arenas, a world she was previously unfamiliar with.
The lights and space of football halls enclose the joy, passion and disappointments of the young players striving for excellence. The photographs capture the atmosphere of the football arenas, the body language and dreams of the players, and the challenges that injuries and slow recovery brings. The game, in a young person’s life, is all about heart, soul and passion. For an artist, this is a fascinating field for exploration.
PHOTOGRAPHS
“One day, no matter what, I will also be a Champion, like Messi, Ronaldo, Drogba, Zlatan…”
The photographs following young Scandinavian football players display the passion for the game. They show the magic ambience of the big inside-arenas in the North where the lights twinkle like stars in the sky.
For the young players, the dream to become someone special, to become a star, a champion, or even a legend is very strong and real. When not playing in the field, the almost hypnotic fascination continues with FIFA games online. This series of photographs also looks at what happens when injury stops everything.
SHORT MOVIE
“Dream of Championship”
2017
MULTIMEDIA WORK
“879 HEROES BY HEART”
2015-2017
About
The multimedia installation is the heart of the exhibition. This piece shows four young boys reciting as many football champions as they can remember. Each boy recalls over 200 names. The short movie Dream of Championship (2017) has gone to compete in film festivals in Finland and abroad.
INFO
EXHIBITIONS
4.5.2019
MAAM
Museum of the Other and the Elsewhere
Rome, Italy
2.5.2019
MACRO Asilo
Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome
Rome, Italy
27.6.-30.6.2018
Shimadai Gallery
Kyoto, Japan
13.6.2018
PechaKucha Night Oslo
Oslo, Norway
4.5.-3.6.2018
Taidehalli Art Hall
Porvoo, Finland
11.4.2018
PechaKucha Night
Helsinki Design Week
Helsinki, Finland
23.-26.3.2018
Spazio Cerere
Rome, Italy
29.1.-4.2.2018
DocPoint
Helsinki Documentary Film Festival
Helsinki, Finland
28.11.–3.12.2017
Rome Independent Film Festival RIFF
at Casa del Cinema di Villa Borghese
Rome, Italy
7.2.–21.3.2016
at Historical Museum of Boznia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
28.4.–17.5.2015
at Lasipalatsi Exhibition Space
Helsinki, Finland
CONTACT
playartfinland@gmail.com