The Bass to Present Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait in Summer 2026
- Apr 1
- 2 min read
The Bass in Miami Beach will present Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait conceived by artists Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno, on view at the museum from May 20 through July 19, 2026. The exhibition is scheduled to coincide with FIFA World Cup 2026 soccer matches and Fan Festival events taking place in host city Miami throughout the summer.
The installation is structured as a two-channel film centered on French soccer player Zinédine Zidane during a 2005 championship match between Real Madrid and Club de Fútbol at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Filmed in real time, the work follows Zidane across the entire game, treating a single athlete as the constant focal point within a mass spectacle.
Presented across two large projections, the exhibition contrasts different modes of image making. One screen offers a composed, cinematic edit that incorporates the live television broadcast, while the other shows unembellished close-up footage from one of the dedicated cameras. At times the projections align, and at other moments they diverge, underscoring how vantage point influences the way a cultural moment is perceived.
The dual structure emphasizes the distance between spectacle and observation, contrasting a mediated event watched by millions with an intimate act of sustained looking. Matching the duration of the original match, the film is screened on a continuous loop, keeping the temporal frame of the live event intact.
Sound is central to the experience, as the roar of tens of thousands of spectators rises and falls, occasionally giving way to near silence. Commentary from Spanish television blends with an original score by Scottish rock band Mogwai, creating a shifting soundscape that moves between public intensity and reflective stillness.
Through the collaboration of two artists and the use of two screens focused on a single player, the work reframes a global sports event as a concentrated act of viewing, offering a study of presence, performance, and the construction of contemporary athletic icons.