Object No. 42 (The Dockers’ Museum)
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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.