Maurizio Cattelan’s temporary installation STADIUM is a work that blends art and interaction, inviting the public to reflect on the boundaries between play and artistic expression, with the aim of fostering social debate.

First presented in 1991 at the Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Bologna, Stadium was Maurizio Cattelan’s first major installation. The work consists of an enormous foosball table nearly seven meters long, with 22 players in total, animated through artistic performances in which two opposing teams face off.

Originally conceived as a statement against racism, the piece addresses the rising xenophobia of the early 1990s, creating a contrast between football—a national passion—and the pressing issue of the migrant and refugee crisis. The 1991 match featured a team of white players facing off against a team of migrants known as “A.C. Forniture Sud.” The name alludes to the ongoing, often overlooked and poorly paid labor force provided by migrants from the Global South.

Positioned somewhere between entertainment and social critique, between encounter and conflict, Stadium offers a reflection on the models of integration adopted by European societies in recent years toward those seeking to migrate to Europe.

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