“Football is loved by millions of people around the world and, in Africa, it is undoubtedly the continent’s most beloved sport. Yet, despite the game’s popularity amongst Africans, it seems that many of us have either forgotten, are unaware of, or ignore the historical conditions that led to football’s arrival on African soil… In the 1930s and 40s, African footballers in South Africa began deviating from orthodox styles of play that mimicked how their European counterparts played the game. Making this imported game their own, African footballers began slanting their chosen methods of play towards the ideals of dexterity and the expression of beauty and flair through feinting and dribbling. The styles of play devised by African footballers were symbolic of the importance of knowing how to surmount difficult situations and dangerous opponents, particularly in an oppressive social system…” – Phokeng Setai, co-curator of Exhibition Match

Curated by Alexander Richards and Phokeng Setai, Exhibition Match explores the intersection of football and art, and reflects on collectivism, competition, play, and the everyday.

The 2023 iteration of Exhibition Match takes place at Fives Futbol, Grand Central Shopping Centre, and is accompanied by an open-air exhibition of three video works by Francis Alÿs, Simon Gush, and Maria Marshall. This year's kit, designed by Robin Rhode, features an image from the artist's 2016 photographic series, Evergreen.

Exhibition Match has grown to become an annual social intervention that invites arts workers to compete in a football tournament, making use of the convening power of Art Fairs in CPT and, more recently, JHB, to bring arts workers together in one place at the same time.