Mark Titchner brings celebration of football fandom through art to N17 this winter

London, Friday 4 November, 2022; Turner-prize nominated artist, Mark Titchner, is bringing a unique celebration of football fandom to London N17 this winter by taking over OOF Gallery at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

A visitor captures the art of the football scarf exhibition on their phone

Titchner’s exhibition – It’s The Hope That Keeps Us Here – captures the emotions and passion of being a football fan ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Luton-born Titchner is famed for bright and colourful billboard imagery with bold phrases, perhaps most-notably his ‘Please Believe These Days Will Pass’ piece that popped up around the capital during the COVID pandemic in 2020.

It’s The Hope That Keeps Us Here delivers similarly on glistening mirrors, combined with strobing videos, capturing the belief, joy and passion of football fandom in phrases like ‘we believe in us’, ‘be strong in small things’ and ‘never glorify your weakness’, as well as the disappointment of defeat in ‘you have failed utterly’ and ‘envy the success of others’.

Throughout the gallery, visitors will hear crowd noise through the speakers to provide an immersive trip into the emotions of football and its universality that goes beyond the game, with artworks aiming to capture the highs and lows of everyday life, how we communicate with each other and how we view ourselves

In a first, artwork from this exhibition will be displayed in digital form during a Premier League match when Spurs take on Leeds United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 12 November – the Club’s final match before the World Cup break. The ‘we believe in us’ artwork will be used to inspire the players and convey a sense of togetherness between the team and the Club’s global fanbase at kick-off in this crucial match.

Running alongside the Titchner show, The Art Of The Football Scarf, is a celebration of the must-have item of merchandise for any football fan. Nearly 100 scarves provided by dozens of contemporary artists – including David Shrigley, Guerrilla Girls, Babak Ganjei, Corbin Shaw, Gray Wielebinski, Aurore Le Duc and Bedwyr Williams – can be seen hung from the ceiling and across the gallery walls in a display of humour, endless colour and boundless ideas.

Mark Titchner said: “Football’s such a big thing. It’s a big part of how we frame life. It fills some space, it fills some kind of need. It’s part of our national consciousness. It’s part of who I am.”

The shows run until 26 February and is free to enter via the Spurs Shop at the Tottenham Experience, located on Tottenham High Road – opening times as follows:

Thursday – Saturday: 10am – 5pm
Sundays: 11am – 4pm
Tuesdays & Wednesdays: Closed

*The gallery will be closed between Monday 19 December and Monday 9 January

Since its opening in July, 2021, OOF Gallery has delivered a series of exhibitions within the Grade II-listed Warmington House, featuring works from Sarah Lucas, Marcus Harvey, Hank Willis Thomas and Martin Parr amongst others.

OOF’s presence adds to the vibrancy the Club and its new stadium is bringing to London N17, with employment and educational opportunities, a new sport and entertainment destination and an estimated £300 million into the local economy every year. This will soon include PAXTON17 a new creative quarter in Tottenham, celebrating the arts, culture, fashion and music.