Alfredo Di Stephano is posing with four Euro cups in Pablo Picasso’s Guernica while Johan Cruyff is dribbling in Vincent Vangogh’s ‘Wheat field’. Wayne Rooney is in a ferocious mood while Joseph Turner’s ‘Snow Storm’ is raging in the background while the dragon from Max Ernest’s ‘The Angel of Hearth and Home’ intervenes in the match that fixed the fate for Andres Escobar.
These are the kind of fantasies that unfold when an artist is also a diehard football enthusiast. Sudhakaran Edakkandy has been following football ever since he became acquainted with the sport. His deep knowledge on football and its history reflects in ‘Scorpion Kick,’ an exhibition of football-related paintings that began at the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery in Kozhikode on Monday.
The exhibition reflects the intense research the artist has put in and is quite informative. He begins with a comparison between Ferenc Puskas and Garrincha and the irony in their lives, explores the politics of Diego Maradona, and wonders whether if Rene Higuita was ‘Prometheus’ or ‘Ulysses,’ citing a text from N.S. Madhavan’s novel named after him.
Mr. Edakkandy gives an account of the life of the noted players such as Escobar, Michel Platini, Bobby Moore, Oliver Kahn, Didier Drogba, Neymar, Ronaldinho, Adnan Januzaj, Zinedine Zidane, and Carlos Valderrama. The artist also goes through the advantages and disadvantages of each team.
A section has been dedicated to the local talent as well, where I.M. Vijayan, Sethumadhavan, Premnath Philip, and Makhan Sigh find space. The soccer frenzy of the region has been paid a tribute in the form of Kagirala Mohammedali, the father of Malappuram soccer, ‘Poolakkaka,’ known for organising sevens tournaments at any cost, and the well-known ‘Auto’ Chandran of Kozhikode who was sent to watch the World Cup by the local people, considering his dedication to the sport.
The plight of Indian football has been represented as a ball tied to a poll and the artist invites comments from viewers on what can be done to save the sport in the country.
The exhibition was inaugurated by former Indian goalkeeper K. Sethumadhavan. It will conclude on June 13.
