Refik Anadol Transforms Messi’s Favorite Goal Into AI-Powered Immersive Artwork
Refik Anadol, the acclaimed Turkish-American media artist known for pushing the limits of data and machine learning, has unveiled a new immersive AI artwork based on Lionel Messi’s favorite goal. Titled Living Memory: Messi – A Goal in Life, the piece reinterprets Messi’s iconic 2009 UEFA Champions League header against Manchester United, using advanced biometric data and generative AI to create a 16K visual experience that blurs the lines between memory, emotion, and data-driven storytelling.
The artwork was revealed on June 11 through a partnership between the Inter Miami CF Foundation and UNICEF, with the support of Christie’s. It will be auctioned both online and in-person at Christie’s New York, with all proceeds directed toward education-focused initiatives across five countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Anadol’s work is known for merging the poetic with the technical, and this new piece continues that trajectory. Using motion capture, biometric recordings (such as heart rate and breath), and match footage, the artwork creates a dynamic visual “memory temple” that reconstructs not only the physical motion of Messi’s goal, but the emotional magnitude it held for him, the team, and the world watching. The artist described the piece as an attempt to "translate the moment beyond visual — to emotional data."
The artwork will be available to the public at Rockefeller Center in New York from July 12 to July 22, followed by a final auction closing on July 25. It’s the latest entry in Anadol’s body of work that sits at the intersection of architecture, AI, and immersive environments — previous projects include installations at MoMA and Ars Electronica.
While the collaboration might seem unexpected at first glance, it aligns with the growing trend of cultural crossovers between high-performance sport, digital art, and philanthropy. Messi, who currently plays for Inter Miami, described the project as an opportunity to give back and “celebrate a moment that defined [his] career in a completely new way.”
For both Anadol and Messi, the project represents more than nostalgia. It’s a visual archive of memory, remixed for a new generation.