Sport Festival 2022, TvBoy interview, author of the manifesto

From Marco Pantani to Kobe Bryant, La Gazzetta dello Sport has often relied on its art to celebrate timeless champions. Contemporary in messages and faces, as accessible as the TV screen on which it was born. The latest project born from the collaboration with TvBoy, aka Salvatore Benintende, is the manifesto of the next Sport Festival, in Trento from 22 to 25 September.

Can you tell us its genesis?

“I immediately accepted the proposal because I am a regular reader of the newspaper and I was also excited, because at the Festival there will be athletes I have watched and admired such as Jacobs for example. The heart represents something inclusive and loving, values ​​of which sport is bearer, so I wanted to put them all close “.

Unlike other works, this time it is a manifesto.

“Yes and I am proud to have signed this special edition because there will be no restrictions. In general I like to create images that can remain, and nothing succeeds like the cover of a newspaper or a record, especially in a ‘was digital like ours “.

What is the relationship between sport and art in your way of conceiving it?

“Closely connected. Often the sporting dimension has been snubbed by the most cultured circles because it is considered tribal and popular, instead I find it perfect for conveying a message. The kiss between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo depicts recognizable subjects, through which we arrive at the condemnation of homophobia and violence in stadiums “.

From Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker on the Berlin Wall, to those of TvBoy: why has the kiss become a recurring theme?

“Art is always a quote, no one invents from nothing. I started right there and then I portrayed Salvini and Di Maio, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Mourinho and Guardiola. It must encourage dialogue, in sport and politics everyone is entrenched on their position. It is also the problem of social networks, where everyone has their say but few treasure the opinion of others. Then it became predictable, they asked me what would be next. I do not exclude that there are new ones, but everything what becomes an obligation is boring for an artist “.

What team do you support for?

“As a child I followed the Dutch side of Milan a lot and I fell in love with Totò Schillaci at the World Cup. He did incredible things and then disappeared, he always fascinated me for this. I also like Jacobs a lot. He gives me the impression that I have kept his side intact. more human despite success “.

Is there an athlete you see yourself in today?

“Lionel Messi, because he always has a low profile. In the interviews he says few and banal things, then on the pitch it is magical. But it has not been like this for me, since he left Barcelona (where the artist lives, ed). Now I put a 10 behind my sweatshirt and it’s a tribute to Maradona “.

What will your next sporting work be?

«I will work with Palermo, the team from my hometown. It would be great if he returned to Serie A, even if it made me rediscover the beauty of working in less talked about contexts, where you remember that football is not just a market and there is a strong social identification. ”

Alongside the Festival dello Sport also for the 2022 edition, important companies and institutions have chosen to be brand partners of the event by actively contributing to the development of the schedule. Main Partner: Audi. Premium Partner: Brembo, Cassa Centrale Group and UnipolSai. Partners: La Sportiva, McFIT, Gardaland. Sustainability Partner: Ecopneus, Scientific Partner: San Donato Group, Official Sneaker: SUN68. Official Broadcaster: Sky Sport. Official Radio: Rai Radio 1.