Match Highlights is a short video work responding to the brutal massacre of Iranian protesters by state forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran on January 8–9, 2026, which resulted in at least 20,000 deaths (with some estimates placing the number more than 35,000), according to the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, Mai Sato. By the night of Sunday, January 11, the massacre reached its peak, and videos documenting the violent repression began circulating online, but, as is often the case, public attention was directed elsewhere. Match Highlights focuses on the most-viewed television programme in Europe that same Sunday night: a football match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, played in Saudi Arabia as the final of the 2026 Supercopa de España, just a few thousand kilometres from the centre of the massacre. Structured as a conventional football match highlight, the video initially follows the familiar rhythm and visual language of sports broadcasting. As the footage unfolds, however, other images begin to intrude. Photographic, video, and audio evidence of the deadly crackdown gradually emerges and overlays the football match.
By the end of Match Highlights, it becomes difficult for viewers to tell which team won or who scored the winning goal. The footage loses its meaning and melts away, as if in shame. 35,000 bodies are just enough to fill a football stadium. Match Highlight continues to circulate on news and sports channels, presenting itself as a legitimate highlight of that night’s event.
Production year: 2026
Runtime: 12'
Digital, 16;9, Stereo
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