Object No. 42 (The Dockers’ Museum)

Allan Sekula, 2010-, Football signed by Pelé. Courtesy of M HKA (Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp), Antwerp

The Brazilian football legend Pelé signed the leather ball with a stylized ‘P’. Pelé played for FC Santos, the team from the city with the largest coffee port. Does this signature signal Pelé’s affiliation with Afro-Brazilian culture? Or would this interpretation go too far, since the symbol itself is in fact very widespread?
The Pelé signed ball is part of Allan Sekula’s Docker’s Museum.