OOF #1
Our latest look at a page 23 zooms in on OOF, a new London-based magazine about art and football. The stereotypical tabloid view of football would have you believe there is no link between the beautiful game and anything as refined as art, when of course the first kicking games evolved as painting developed into ‘art’.
Even the name of this new mag neatly brings the two activities together; for the football fan, OOF! is the imagined sound of two players crashing together as they chase a loose ball; art fans will recognise the name (and its graphic representation) from the Edward Ruscha painting of the same name.
The launch issue brings together many big names of the contemporary art world (editor Eddy Frankel is Arts Editor of Time Out London). On page 23 of the issue there’s a reproduction of a painting by Rose Wylie, opening an interview with the British artist by curator Hans-Ulrich Obrist. ‘Plastic Footballers’ is one of a series of football-related paintings Wylie has produced; hers are not heroic paintings of celebrity footballers, but messy renditions celebrating the visual side of the sport.
What drew me to this example is the title scrawled across the top. The phrase ‘Plastic Fan’ is used by supporters to dismiss those who pretend an interest in the game. This new magazine is anything but plastic; it has successfully created a new approach to one of the most media-saturated subjects by combining it with an another saturated one. The result is a truly original magazine that delivers for the football fan and art fan alike.
Editor: Eddy Frankel
Design: Tom Havell