Detail of Work n144 : Hot Wheels from the series Wheeling and dealing (2017), charred plane wood, 59 x 59 x 21 centimeters each. All images ADAGP, Paris, 2025, courtesy of Nne Futbol Club, shared with permissionNne Futbol Clubs Hot Wheels Drive at the Dualities of Systems and SocietyFebruary 13, 2025ArtKate MothesCombining sculpture and performative interventions, Nne Futbol Clubsometimes referred to as Nonefutbolclubexpresses conceptual messages through ephemeral objects and time-based actions. The name is the alias of Colas Claisse, who co-founded the project as a collective but now works solo under the moniker. The initiative continues to delve into potent dichotomies like tragedy and humor, vulnerability and security, disruption and calm, and politics and fiction.Nne Futbol Clubs work may sometimes make you smile, but it can also be serious, says a statement. It highlights the violence inherent in our world, where speed and productivity are seen as all-powerful. The artist describes the projects role as one that takes hold of our immediate environment, expressing social divides and examining socio-political issues with a spark of wry humor.Installation view of Work n144 : Hot Wheels from the series Wheeling and dealing (2017), charred plane wood, 59 x 59 x 21 centimeters eachAn ongoing series of sculptures assume the form of tires fashioned from wooden rings. Scorched with fire, the series Wheeling and dealing includes multimedia works all titled Work n144: Hot Wheels. The pieces appear in the guise of Cooper or Pirelli racing tires, yet upon closer inspection, they reveal their surprising composition. Layered meanings emerge through the flames, which initially create, and in some cases destroy, the works.Each life-size wooden object is made from sliced tree trunks that have been carbonized, producing the rich, black texture and facets redolent of treads. Since a tree does not grow from its core but from the periphery of its trunk, the cracks resulting from combustion are created concentrically, the artist says, describing how the resulting patterns mimic brand new, rubber care tires.A double entendre in the sense that the sculptures refer to the American toy brand of the same name and the literal temperature of the pieces as they burn, the artist plays with perception by creating a material that pretends to be another.Nne Futbol Club continues to revel in this subtle deception, trapping the spectator in the simulacrum: Subjected to form but destroying function,Hot Wheelsintroduces the silent unease of a double game: real tire or wood? Voluntary combustion or fatal car accident?Detail of Work n144 : Hot WheelsThe Wheeling and dealing series also spawns drawings made from charcoal chipped off of the sculptures when handled. Video works, such as the half-hour piece included below, chronicle the tires destruction in atmospheric landscapes. Bespoke molds cast tire shapes in plaster, aluminum, andcoming full circlerubber. And later pieces incorporate puddles of metal underneath the tires, symbolizing overheating as the rims melt and serve as a display pedestal. Literally and figuratively a loop, the pieces define the cyclical nature of much of Nne Futbol Clubs practice.The artist describes his approach as a systematic hijacking or reversal of the system, tapping into the powerful symbolism of objects that are burned or smashed amidst revolt. Faced with a sense of powerlessness, car vandals and rioters seek an accessible way to convey a radical message, he says. As the embodiment of a comfortable and cushioned system, the car is a perfect target.Nne Futbol Club is slated to show work at Iconoscope Gallery in May in Montpellier and at MacBar in September in Lyon. Find more on his website and Instagram.Work n144: Hot Wheels from the series Wheeling and dealing (2017), burnt wood on paper, 100 x 77 centimetersWork n144 : Hot Wheels from the series Wheeling and dealing (2017), charred plane wood, 59 x 59 x 21 centimeters eachWork n144 : Hot Wheels from the series Wheeling and dealing (2017), charred plane wood, 59 x 59 x 21 centimetersWork n144: Hot Wheels from the series Wheeling and dealing (2017), burnt wood on paper, 100 x 77 centimetersStill from Work n144: Hot wheels (Dompcevrin I) (2017), video, 18 minutes, 23 secondsWork n144: Hot Wheels from the series Wheeling and dealing (2017), burnt wood, 28 x 82 x 103 centimetersNext article