As often is the case with cities and towns, it is commonplace to commission a local artist to create a work of public art within city borders—and Hoboken is no exception! On November 18, Hoboken’s Mayor Bhalla, local artist Daniel Azceta, and local bar-owner Paul Dawson met at 159 1st St, or Mulligan’s Pub to unveil Azcete’s newest work as a commemoration of the commencement of the long-awaited 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The World Cup began on November 20 and will conclude on December 18. The tournament will include the competition of 32 teams from across the world at eight venues across five cities in the host nation of Qatar. In the competition, there will be 64 matches, including group and knockout rounds, ending with a third-place play-off on December 17 and the championship match on December 18 at Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail, Qatar. This year’s World Cup has seen some controversy, with accusations of corruption in the hosting bid and the recognition of Qatar’s restriction on immigrants, women, and those of the LGBTQIA+ community.
As a memorial for such a momentous event of global cooperation and nationalistic pride, Mayor Bhalla commissioned Hoboken-born and raised Azacete to create a freehand spray-painted mural. Using 250-300 cans of spray paint, Azaceta worked tirelessly to freehand paint some of the most well-known stars to grace the football pitch across the eras. Athletes include Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo, Argentine forward Lionel Messi, English defender Bobby Moore, and FIFA’s proclaimed “greatest”: the Brazilian forward Pelé.
The mural is located and supported by Dawson and Mulligan’s Pub. On November 18, Bhalla, Dawson, Azacete, and other locals unveiled the mural, coinciding with the start of the World Cup. This mural comes after the city of Hoboken set aside millions of dollars worth of loans for city beautification projects earlier this semester.
For anyone interested in the mural, it is about a 10-minute walk. To find it, head south of Washington St., and take a left on 1st.
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