Juan Mata has announced he will return to Manchester this summer, but he will be curating an exhibition all about football rather than playing it. The 34-year-old departed Manchester United after an eight-year spell a year ago and will make a return to his former home as part of this year's Manchester International Festival.
Mata, who was himself known for his artistry on the pitch, will co-curate an exhibition about the beautiful game with Berlin-based artist Hans Ulrich Obrist.
'The Trequartista – Art and Football United' exhibition will bring together 11 contemporary artists and 11 footballers to produce new works inspired by the Trequartista, a legendary position and style in football that is rapidly disappearing.
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"It is fantastic to be returning to Manchester, the city I called home for more than eight years, and to be part of Manchester International Festival for the first time," Mata said of the two-year-long project.
"I am thrilled to be co-curating ‘The Trequartista – Art and Football United’ with Hans Ulrich Obrist over the next two years, bringing together two of my passions: the worlds of football and art."
The exhibition has been developed by writer Josh Willdigg, and 11 teams of footballers and artists will work together over two years, culminating in a group show at the 2025 edition of Manchester International Festival. The project kicks off at this year's festival with a world premiere of This entry – a new work by artist Tino Sehgal, made with the involvement of Mata and presented at the National Football Museum and the Whitworth.
Known for artworks composed exclusively using the human body, voice, and social interaction, Sehgal has exhibited his work at the world’s biggest art galleries, –from New York’s Guggenheim to London’s Tate Modern. His entry to Mata and Obrist's collaborative art project is described as a 'playful choreographic exchange between a footballer, violinist, cyclist and singing dancer'.
Named after a football playmaker who operates behind the front line but in front of the midfield, 'Trequartista', literally translated from Italian, means 'three quarters'.
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