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Artist Paul Pfeiffer discussed how stadiums and mass sporting events can function as stages for political power in an interview with Hyperallergic. The interview accompanies his current exhibition at Galerie Perrotin in Los Angeles, which includes new sculpture and video works. The source does not give the exhibition’s closing date or detailed event schedule.
Asked about the expanding scale of mass culture and the collective feelings it can produce, Pfeiffer pointed to the international circulation of stadium events such as the **World Cup and Olympics**. He said tournaments that move between cities create a recurring relationship between sports, architecture and political influence. In his view, the stadium’s public role extends beyond what happens in competition: it can host political messaging and shape how national power is seen.
“Perhaps the stadium is actually the replacement for the UN as a symbolic gathering point to conduct world politics,” Pfeiffer told Hyperallergic. He framed the comparison as a possibility, not a literal institutional change, and said the stadium “certainly hides as much as it reveals.” The interview does not establish that sporting venues have replaced the United Nations or assess the relative influence of the two settings.
The exhibition includes works from Pfeiffer’s continuing engagement with sports, celebrity and spectacle. Among them are **Vitruvian Figure** works, including a 2026 digital video titled Vitruvian Figure (Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum), and carved figures featuring pop singer Justin Bieber in crucifixion imagery. The source identifies Justin Bieber Legs Crucified (Seville) as a 2026 work; it also shows Justin Bieber Ecce Homo I (Seville), made from cedar wood, paint and a metal armature. The report does not provide a complete checklist of the exhibition.
How Stadiums Become Political Stages
Pfeiffer’s remarks matter because they draw attention to the **political meaning of mass cultural events**, not just their entertainment value. International tournaments gather large audiences, athletes, officials and media attention in highly visible settings. That visibility can give political messages a platform, while the spectacle may also obscure the less visible arrangements and power relations behind an event.
The interview links that idea to two examples raised by Hyperallergic: Iranian athletes who, according to the interviewer, trained outside the United States before the World Cup because the U.S. government would not host them overnight, and delegates who walked out during a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations. Pfeiffer said the walkout was “heartening” and described it as a moment of agency. These examples are presented in the interview; the article does not independently detail or verify the circumstances around them.
For readers, the point is not that sport has displaced diplomacy, but that **political expression can occur through cultural events and visible gestures** as well as through formal institutions. Pfeiffer’s art makes that tension part of its subject.
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Pfeiffer’s Art of Visibility
Pfeiffer began making interventions in found video footage in the early 1990s. His works often remove or alter important elements in scenes featuring celebrated athletes, drawing attention to how **editing, fame and media attention** shape the audience’s experience. The source describes these works as addressing effects on individuals and the wider body politic.
His practice also draws on art history. The report cites the caryatids in his 2003–04 series and the 1999 digital video installation Fragment of a Crucifixion (after Francis Bacon). His work has expanded into drawing and sculpture, including maquettes and imagined plans for a million-seat stadium under variations of the title **Vitruvian Figure**. The current exhibition brings these concerns into a Los Angeles setting through works that connect sports architecture, celebrity and religious imagery.
““Perhaps the stadium is actually the replacement for the UN as a symbolic gathering point to conduct world politics.””
— Paul Pfeiffer, speaking to Hyperallergic
Exhibition Details Still Unspecified
The source does not state **when the interview was published**, how long the Perrotin exhibition will remain open, or whether related public programs are planned. It also does not give a full list of works on view or further detail about the circumstances of the Iranian athletes’ travel and training. Pfeiffer’s suggestion that stadiums may serve as political gathering points is an artistic and political interpretation, not a claim that they have formally replaced the United Nations.
The Exhibition’s Next Milestones
The immediate development is the presentation of Pfeiffer’s work at **Galerie Perrotin in Los Angeles**. The source supplies no closing date or forthcoming program details, so visitors should check the gallery’s current listing for practical information. Further reporting would be needed to establish the exhibition’s full contents and schedule.
Key Questions
What is the news about Paul Pfeiffer?
Hyperallergic published an interview in which Pfeiffer discusses stadiums as settings for political spectacle. The conversation is tied to his current exhibition at Galerie Perrotin in Los Angeles.
Did Pfeiffer say stadiums have replaced the United Nations?
No. He said a stadium may be a replacement as a symbolic gathering point for world politics. His remark is an interpretation, not evidence of an institutional change.
What works are included in the exhibition?
The source identifies 2026 works including the digital video Vitruvian Figure (Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum) and carved Justin Bieber figures. It does not provide a complete exhibition checklist.
What themes recur in Pfeiffer’s work?
The report describes a practice focused on sports, celebrity, media visibility and political spectacle, using altered video, sculpture and references to art history.
When does the exhibition close?
The source does not give a closing date. Visitors should consult Galerie Perrotin’s current exhibition information for dates and access details.
Source: hyperallergic.com
