Paul Pfeiffer on the Spectacle of Politics
“Perhaps the stadium is actually the replacement for the UN as a symbolic gathering point to conduct world politics,” the artist told Hyperallergic in an interview.
Los Angeles — Paul Pfeiffer has been creating compelling interventions in found video footage since the early 1990s, often featuring prominent athletes to examine the impact of fame and media on both individuals and society at large. Through innovative post-production methods, Pfeiffer strips away essential elements from scenes of professional boxers and basketball players, isolating them within various settings, and exposing the unsettling nuances in these modern spectacles.
His work extends beyond these scenes by drawing parallels with art historical references, such as caryatids from his 2003-4 series, and modern painting, exemplified by his 1999 digital video installation "Fragment of a Crucifixion (after Francis Bacon)."
Pfeiffer has also explored a diverse range of mediums, including drawing and sculpture. Noteworthy among these is his series of sculptural maquettes and imagined plans for a stadium with a capacity of one million seats, all titled variations of Vitruvian Figure. Additionally, in 2026, he created a striking wood carving of pop singer Justin Bieber in the style of Jesus on the Cross, titled "Justin Bieber Legs Crucified (Seville)."
In a recent interview with Hyperallergic, Pfeiffer discussed the growing scale of mass culture and its potential to generate both appealing collective responses and dystopian outcomes. He pondered the idea that a billion Swifties gathering at a stadium might be too much, referring to the quote, "A million Elvis fans can’t be wrong."
Pfeiffer observed the proliferation of stadiums, often associated with cyclical events like the World Cup or the Olympics, which travel from city to city. He suggested that these structures mirror a cyclical rhythm and function as a modern symbolic gathering point for world politics. He pointed out that stadiums might be a replacement for the United Nations in terms of symbolic value, as athletes' bodies move beyond the physically confrontational nature of the sporting events.
Written by urgent.news from Hyperallergic's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
