Oof (stylised as OOF) is an art and football magazine, and an associated art gallery. The magazine launched in 2018 and is published twice a year. The gallery opened in 2021, and is located at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The magazine and gallery both showcase football-related visual art.
Magazine[edit]
Issue one of Oof magazine was published in February 2018 by Time Out London art critic Eddy Frankel and gallerists Jennie and Justin Hammond. Frankel says that he had tried to keep his passions for art and football separate, until he realised that there were more people in the art world with an interest in football than he had expected.[1] The first issue included an interview with Rose Wylie and features on Chris Ofili and Leo Fitzmaurice. The magazine is published biannually,[2] and aims to use art to explore some of the meaning behind football.[3]
Oof has collaborated with other organisations in the world of art and design. In 2019, Oof organised a five-a-side football tournament between teams from arts organisations including Lisson Gallery, Christie's and Tate.[4] In 2021, Oof partnered with Umbro to produce limited edition artist-designed football shirts with Juno Calypso and Rhys Coren.[5]
Gallery[edit]
In the years after the magazine's launch, Oof organised exhibitions of football-related art at venues around London.[6] In 2021 Frankel and Jennie and Justin Hammond opened a permanent exhibition space. Oof Gallery is located in Warmington House, a building entered via the Tottenham Hotspur club shop at the team's London stadium.[7] Tottenham Hotspur have no curatorial say in the gallery's activities.[6]
The gallery aims to be accessible to all. Creative Review described the gallery as "an unpretentious entry point into contemporary art, a world all-too-often shrouded in exclusivity."[8]
The gallery's inaugural exhibition was called Balls and featured works by a range of artists, including new pieces from young artists as well as older work from some of the Young British Artists. Apollo described the art in the exhibition as "terrific",[9] while The New York Times quoted one visitor describing what he saw as a "load of rubbish".[1]
In 2022 the gallery hosted an exhibition of work by photographer Martin Parr and multidisciplinary artist Corbin Shaw, with works themed around the experiences of football fandom.[10]
It is a commercial gallery, with works of art on sale from $10 to $120,000.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Marshall, Alex (16 August 2021). "Getting Soccer Fans Into Art? That's the Goal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ "Time Out London's art critic scores with new football magazine Oof". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ "OOF magazine: where the worlds of art and football meet - in pictures". The Guardian. 26 February 2018. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ "On the head: art world takes to the pitch for OOF football tournament". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 23 June 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ "Umbro team up with OOF to create two unique shirts designed by contemporary artists". 90min.com. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ a b Waywell, Chris (24 June 2021). "An art gallery is opening at Tottenham Hotspur's stadium". Time Out London. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ Luke, Ben (29 July 2021). "An art gallery in a football stadium? OOF!". Evening Standard. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ Williams, Megan (23 July 2021). "Oof magazine launches a gallery celebrating the art of football". Creative Review. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ "A striking display at Spurs". Apollo Magazine. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ "Pilgrimage to paradise: the agony and ecstasy of football fandom". The Face. 6 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.