‘Authentic to Miami.’ New World Cup exhibit highlights local artists
There’s just something about soccer that makes you feel like a kid again.
Whether it’s the memories of youth soccer or the freedom associated with the sport, the feeling of childlike joy is impossible to escape. And with the World Cup now running through July 19, these emotions of wonderment won’t go anywhere anytime soon.
Walk inside the Art of Fútbol, a new exhibit powered by the Museum of Graffiti, and those same feelings come rushing at you like a tidal wave. From the giant coloring wall featuring black-and-white outlines of soccer players by Chnk MSG to the artist-engineered foosball tables to the customized Inter Miami jerseys to even the Space Cup by Tragek, an interactive piece that allows visitors to test their kicking skills, the Art of Fútbol captures the very elements that make the game so beautiful with a twist of Miami flare.
“Our goal is for adults to come in here and remember that first time that they kicked a soccer ball as a child and some of those own your own memories that also surrounded that time painting with tempera paint, very basic brushes, cut learning to color in the lines, things like that,” said Allison Freidin, Museum of Graffiti co-founder. “And so it’s interesting because this is a controlled chaos when we invite the public in and let them paint on our walls. You never know what’s going to happen, but here at the Museum of Graffiti, we’re ready for anything.“
The exhibit came about as Freidin wanted to do something for the World Cup. In the past, the venue has hosted the “Art of Hip-Hop,“ which ran from 2023 to 2025, as well as studio space for artists, many of whom still use it to this day.
And despite the wealth of free World Cup activities like FIFA Fan Fest, none center the artists.
“This exhibition is authentic to what’s happening in Wynwood,” Freidin said. “I think it’s authentic to Miami. I think it’s authentic to the sport.”
Added Freidin: “There is a true intersection in local culture and international events that hit Miami. It’s imperative that the artist community has its own space to celebrate something as big as the World Cup coming to Miami.”
Take Enrique “Abstrk” Mastrapa’s piece, for example. The artist never played soccer – he was always partial to American football – yet the importance of sport has not escaped him. Inspired by a trip to Cuba, Abstrk created “Unity,” a painting that utilizes the panels of a soccer ball to showcase how the bare-bones nature of the game.
“It’s a sport that a lot of the kids there gravitate towards too because they don’t have many things,” Abstrk said, calling soccer “a sport that you don’t really need to buy gloves, a bat, mitts and stuff like that.”
Complete with images of a child, a light pole and a car as well as the word “Unity” pasted over top, the piece illustrates how intertwined the streets are with the sport.
“I put unity because it’s like it’s a sport that people from, from all different backgrounds around the world, it’s one thing that they have in common is this sport,” said Abstrk, adding that he sourced the letters from vintage car badges. “It unifies people from all different countries and they put whatever’s going on in the world aside to play this one sport, which is really interesting about it.”
That same fascination with the street level aspect of soccer also influenced James “Ras Terms” Monk who created a foosball table complete with various faces. Having lived in both Colombia and Puerto Rico, he has seen kids’ excitement to play in the streets – or anywhere for that matter – first hand. His firstborn son was no stranger to this form of soccer as well.
Ras Terms, however, sees the parallels between graffiti and the game itself, something that’s intertwined to the very exhibit itself.
“That’s where that love for the game begins,” Ras Terms said, “on the streets.”
