My visit: June 2023.
Cost: Free !
What was it?
The World of Gazza!! A show at OOF Gallery, a football focused gallery in Tottenham, London. The exhibition is an incredible reflection on footballer Paul Gascoigne through artist commissions and football memorabilia from the 90s. Inspired by one of Jeremy Deller’s imaginary exhibition posters from the 90s (which I saw on display at his Glasgow exhibition) OOF gallery made the idea come to life. I had never been to the OOF gallery, it was an incredible space, a hidden gem in the huge stadium.
Why it mattered?
Being a Geordie, I love old football memorabilia and enjoy learning more about how football and the players reflect culture at the time – especially the 90s. I reckon it would probably be the only exhibition my Geordie family would enjoy, although you had to enter the gallery through the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, so not quite ideal. That is why this exhibition particularly stuck with me because Football is so universal and it is rooted in community, I think it was pretty powerful.
My takeaway:
The artist commissions were incredible, notably the bespoke gazza rugs and puppet sculpture piece. But also the memorabilia and newspaper cuttings were so well curated and presented in the space it was a mix of history and creative interpretations together which took you on a journey through Gazza’s experience at Tottenham.
Vibe:
The day I visited the exhibition was when Beyoncé was on her world tour, we were the only 3 people there queuing through security to go see Gazza – winding our way through stadium security asking, “Where’s Gazza?” No one knew what we meant. Still, I am pleased that I was there to show some geordie support.
