Players given showcase of unique football shirt art by OOF Gallery

Our players were this week given a showcase of the unique works of Christian Jeffery, artist-in-residence at OOF Gallery - the world’s only contemporary art gallery in a football stadium, situated in Warmington House at the heart of the Tottenham Experience.

Jeffery is a designer-turned-artist who treats football shirts like canvasses. He hand-paints iconic shirts, reinventing them as one-off works of art.

Each shirt is totally unique with its own fascinating back story, full of symbolism and historical references. They are constructed from scratch, rather than just painting on an existing jersey – a process that can take months, sometimes longer.

Jeffery is constantly seeking inspiration, often travelling to European and north African street markets to source material for his creations. Since joining OOF Gallery as artist-in-residence, he's found inspiration in the local Tottenham area, incorporating images of nature spotted on his daily commute to N17: such as pink and purple flowers in the St Francis de Sales churchyard opposite the stadium and leaves painted on the shutters of a closed nail bar on Tottenham High Road. His designs also pay homage to the rich history of the Club, celebrating some of the legends who've worn the famous shirt.

Last summer - to coincide with UEFA EURO 2024 - Jeffrey was included in the latest in a series of free, football-themed art exhibitions that have been delivered at Warmington House. Tops Off: A Century Of Football Shirt Art looked at how artists have used the ubiquity of football shirts for over a hundred years to communicate ideas of community. Works included Varvara Stepanova’s radical, experimental designs for football kits in the early Soviet era, to more contemporary pieces in the national identities of Croatia and Ghana.

The exhibition was a huge success, going viral on social media and attracting attention from football top fanatics, contemporary art fans and museum curators. Since then, Jeffery’s works have been placed in a number of prestigious private collections, allowing him the opportunity to paint full time at OOF Studios and build up an outstanding new body of work.

OOF Gallery adds to the vibrancy the Club and its new stadium is bringing to London N17, with employment and educational opportunities, a new sport, leisure and entertainment destination and an estimated £344 million into the local economy every year.

Visit oofgallery.com or follow OOF Gallery on Instagram for more information and news on its upcoming exhibitions at Warmington House. To find out more about Christian Jeffery’s work, follow him on Instagram.