Puma,the trend setting athletic footwear brand, continues to think out of the box while setting the trends for all to follow. In celebration of the upcoming World Cup, to be held on African soil for the first time in world cup history, Puma has commissioned world renown contemporary portraitist, Kehinde Wiley, to create four portraits of three Puma sponsored & world football’s finest athletes: John Mensah of Ghana, Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon and Emmanuel Eboué of Ivory Coast. Kehinde Wiley balances the world of traditional & contemporary with a focus on showcasing the strength, power, beauty & ancestral regalness of men of African decent in their natural contemporary environments mixed into portraits juxtaposing traditional & historic elements.

The exhibition entitled, “Of The Same Earth”, consists of three individual portraits & one unity portrait showcasing all three footballers in symbolism of African unity.The exhibit was unveiled in Berlin,Germany in January 2010 and will embark on a haute global tour starting in February, with stops in Paris, London, New York, Beijing & Milan with a final stop in South Africa in June, right in time for the World Cup! Puma currently sponsors twelve African football teams (Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia), four of which will be at this year’s World Cup in South Africa. Puma has had a long standing relationship with African football & supporting creative arts projects in Africa. A portion of the proceeds from Puma’s Africa Unity Kit will support biodiversity in Africa, in partnership with UNEP’s Year of Biodiversity 2010.

“Looking back I just can’t help but to be amazed at how one ball can create a sense of solidarity & bring together over 1 billion people in Africa. I can see clearly that no matter where you’re from, we are all of the same earth” Kehinde Wiley