AMEN: Grassroots Football
A solo exhibition by Jessica Hilltout at Gallery F
AMEN: Grassroots Football presents photographer and artist Jessica Hilltout’s powerful exploration of football culture across Africa through photography, storytelling and sculptural objects.
In 2008, Hilltout travelled from Brussels to Cape Town carrying a Hasselblad camera, 300 rolls of film and a central question: what does football mean across Africa? Over nine months, she documented grassroots football across cities, towns and informal playing fields, capturing the pride, movement and sense of community surrounding the game.
Along the journey, manufactured footballs were exchanged for handmade balls crafted by local communities. The artist returned with 35 handmade footballs that became a central component of the project and exhibition.
The exhibition reflects football not simply as a sport, but as a shared social language deeply connected to identity, resilience and collective experience.
Jessica Hilltout will be present in Cape Town for the opening on Thursday, 21 May 2026, and will return to the gallery on Friday for speeches and book signings.
