Martin Parr’s solo show is at the Oof Gallery until May 8; oofgallery.com
The agony and ecstasy of the beautiful game are captured in all their glory at a new solo show of work taken across the photographer’s career
“This is an exhibition about how much football means to so many people, how essential it is to their daily lives,” adds the publication in a press release.
Parr’s photography captures fans at moments of jubilation as well as quiet despair, conveying “the unity, passion, ecstasy and community of football” as it’s described by Oof – which was set up in 2018 with the aim of exploring the links between the sport and visual culture.
Parr has spent decades photographing football, though turning his camera away from the pitch and onto the fans. According to Oof – the football mag that runs Oof Gallery – the show captures people “celebrating, commiserating, or just meditatively lost in the moment of following their team”.
The exhibition features black and white images shot in Halifax, Hartlepool and Portsmouth, as well as sundrenched shots of fans baking in the sun in Benidorm.