The world of football and art – particularly fan art, have long crossed paths. But no one has caught the eye in terms of originality as the art Bruno Acanfora produces. The artists work has risen from the simple meme to the reimagining of a classic.

Bruno Acanfora, AKA - BOCART has become, literally a fans favourite in not only the Boca Juniors supporter's community, but also the wider football world. Cult Kit's has long been admirer, so we had a chat with the person behind the Boca themed imagery that has brought joy to the community.

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CK: What is your earliest memory of falling in love with football and Boca Juniors?

BA: My grandparents lived and worked in La Boca. The entire family supports Boca so it was all around me growing up. I do have a really fond memory of a particular event. In 1996, while they were remodelling La Bombonera, my father stopped with the car next to the construction and told us to 'steal' some rocks from the old stadium 'Grab yourself a piece of history'.

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Another iconic moment is when I got my first original Jersey, the 1998/99 BOCA JUNIORS HOME SHIRT, an absolute Cult Kit :)

CK: Your work is becoming extremely well known across social media – how did it all start?

BA: Honestly it started as a joke. Just messing around with photoshop, reacting to game results or moments with memes. I post all my Boca related content on Twitter. Some big Boca Jrs accounts with a lot of followers started to retweet the images and that's the moment where it all started.

My initial idea was to translate all the world famous memes into Bostero Memes. Then one day, the Classical art and Boca clashed, giving birth to BOCART @ESTOESBOCART. For Context: ESTO ES BOCA (THIS IS BOCA) is a really famous flag that they hang in the stadium every time Boca plays. 

CK: Your work is visually stunning and the detailing is quite like nothing we've seen before. How long does a typical piece of work take to create?

BA: Ufff, it really depends. Some of them take an entire week or more. There's a lot of work involved in, first, finding the original artwork in high-resolution. Then, thinking about what I can add to the piece that makes sense for Boca and the story, and lastly, trying to match the painting style. Sometimes that's the most difficult part. I digitally re-paint it on top of the picture, and when you find an image that is full of detail you want to pay respect to that. Sometimes I find myself painting the stitches of an Adidas stripe at 2am and I realise that I went too far.

"I'm always curious to know if any Boca Juniors players ever saw one of those Bocarts."

CK: It must be hard to say, but do you have a favourite piece of work?

BA: I'll have to say the Carl Bloch, In a Osteria Bostera. There's something about the looks in that painting that is magnetic. I remember laughing alone in front of my computer when I added the Boca Jrs. bucket hat to the cat. He's the most judgemental of all the characters.

CK:  How does an idea come about and do you often have requests from Boca and art fans?

BA: My favourite thing to do is to react to a specific sport moments (winning, losing, breaking a record) and finding a painting that represents that feeling. 

About the requests...'Often' is a nice way to put it. The inbox of the IG account is collapsed with mates asking/suggesting their favourite art piece or some other weird stuff. I try to look at most of them, but there really is a lot.

CK: What other artists/designers inspire you?

BA: There's a lot of great Football Artists around the globe. I love the illustration work of Jonas Bergstrand (@jonas_jonasbergstrand), Gonzalo Rodriguez (@gonzarodriguez), and my mate Dan (@danleydon). The graphic/retouch work of Franco Di Pietro (@fdsigns_) and Lourdes (@luletrocks). I also have a soft spot for the crazy kit creations of @fokohaela.

CK: Have any Boca players ever contacted you directly to create a personal commission?

BA: No. I'm always curious to know if any Boca Juniors player ever saw one of those Bocarts.

CK: What would be a dream collaboration or commission for you? 

BA: My dream is to have a piece hung somewhere inside the Bombonera stadium. That would be insane. Another wild dream is to see fans with a Bocart flag/tifo in the stands.

CK: Do you have a favourite Boca football shirt of-all time? 

BA: Really close call between Adidas '81 Diego and the '00 Nike Intercontinental Cup winners

CK: Can we ever expect an exhibition of all your work and can we collaborate with you on something? 

BA: I'm working on that! Fingers crossed I can have some news before the end of this year! And of course I'll love to take that to the Fish & Chips land.

You can view more of Bruno's work here.