Arts Media Contacts

YOU’RE SHIT ARRRGH!

6^TH-14^TH June

26 Camden High Street, London

Camden Collective

By Rebecca Read

The idea of football-based art exhibition may initially spark images of shouting, louting and primary colours; yet ‘YOU’RE SHIT ARRRGH!’ although admittedly more light-hearted than other art collections, highlights some very dark and important issues evident in the ‘beautiful game’, and in the contemporary world generally. This show is comprised of art of eleven artists and covers numerous genres and mediums; from provocative objects, moving image and stunning black and white photography. Therefore, much like football, it is nothing if no diverse.

Camden Collective are an organisation that put on ‘pop-up’ art shows in vacant spaces around London, and on this occasion it was hosted in an empty shop on Camden high street. This minimalist space was crammed with excited art and/or football fans, clutching their free can of beer to mark the occasion of the coming together of the two subjects.

Out of the eleven eclectic pieces, Mark Cocksedge’s ‘Officials Only’ truly shone. Shy tucked away at the back of the venue is where Cocksedge displays his tribute to the arguably under-appreciated and on occasion, vilified role of the referee within the game of football. These uncomfortably intimate portraits depicted a series of these dedicated men from the Hackney Marshes, who referee for Sunday League football in London. These photographs told the story of the men who loved the game, but that devotion was not one always reciprocated. They were shot with the men looking directly into the camera, on what looked to be a freezing cold and misty day in London; this gave the photographs depth and endearment, feelings not normally associated with referees. The sense of the lost souls of the misunderstood rule-keepers is a very moving one.

Second to the work of Cocksedge, was the moving image piece by Charlotte Turner, entitled ‘Fauxhawk’. This piece was inspired by David Beckham’s contribution to football culture and history, by which it recreates numerous celebrations from the football star’s eighyty-five goals scored with Manchester United. These joyous movements, now seen out of context, were shot in what appeared to be an industrial car park and performed by a female. This isolation from a how football fans would usually view a goal celebration and therefore took the sense of god-like celebrity away from them, and left them rather cold. This was perhaps to comment upon David Beckham’s evolution from Manchester United fan himself, to sporting hero to now embodying the idea of the celebrity.

The issue of racism and violence was also tackled in this exhibition. A selection of artists produced some pieces of literal art which raised some of these difficult questions. One of the most controversial and interesting pieces was a football scarf which read ‘if you look English you may be arrested’, which was in reference to the advice given to Korea policemen when hosting a game against England. These pieces complimented the already very poignant and thought provoking work brilliantly.

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