Take a behind-the-scenes look at the installation process for Nelson Leirner’s whimsical work Maracanã (2003), on view in PAMM’s latest special exhibition The World’s Game: Fútbol and Contemporary Art, opening with a celebration on April 12.

Nelson Leirner is known for incorporating elements of modern and popular culture into his works, highlighting society’s disregard for the products of everyday existence. In Maracanã, spectators are represented as hundreds of small statuettes of religious and pop culture figures from around the globe. Battalions of Buddhas are placed among legions of Roman cavalry, which are set beside troops of cartoon characters. Embracing these key figures is Jesus himself, seen in the form of numerous figurines with outstretched arms that compose the arena walls. Placed in the milieu of a sporting event, these actors are given the opportunity to play strikingly different roles, while questioning the definition of art today.