A Store Like 94 & OOF present: FANTASY FOOTBALL - Private View

ASL94 and OOF, in partnership with The Art House, have brought together eight artists from
Chicago/Accra-based Deadly Prey Gallery.
About this Event

'Fantasy Football' features masters of the genre including Bright Obeng, Heavy J and Stoger, whose work emerged during the late 1980s and '90s with the boom in Ghanaian mobile cinema culture. Makeshift video clubs, usually consisting of a TV, a video player and a portable generator loaded onto a truck, travelled around the country showing the latest Hollywood and Bollywood movies, along with kung-fu classics and West African films. With no promotional material or printmaking facilities available, local artists were commissioned to create posters to advertise the screenings, and their bold, wildly inventive paintings kickstarted a movement that went on to gain international recognition.

Often with just a title for inspiration, artists relied on instinct to come up with exaggerated, funny and otherworldly narratives for the posters, even if it meant including a scenario that didn't actually appear in the film. The paintings in 'Fantasy Football' continue the tradition, taking their titles from modern documentaries about footballing superstars, while reimagining the players as comic book characters, action heroes, gangsters and ancient warriors. Zidane is pictured 'Terminator'-like on a motorcycle, Messi appears with a tattooed E.T., R9 poses with Mickey Mouse. Full of joy, steeped in humour and heavy on nostalgia, these paintings offer a timely antidote to the blandness and greed found in so much of the modern game.

Featuring: Bright Obeng, C.A. Wisely, Daniel, Heavy J, Magasco, Nii Bi Ashitey, Salvation, Stoger

Artists receive 100% of profits from print sales made during this exhibition.

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A Store Like 94 is an independent UK-based brand inspired by leisurewear, artwork, and collectible culture, rooted in the golden era of football and its merchandise. .

The brand channels the spirit of 1990s football through a unique blend of film and pop culture references, iconic advertising, and bootleg graphics. Founder Josh Steeples regularly travels to the world’s most celebrated football cities, sourcing rare memorabilia and forming connections with a global community of football creatives.

Through clothing, objects, and collaborative art, A Store Like 94 embraces the stories, characters, and unforgettable moments that define football culture.

In July 2021, after three years of curating football exhibitions across London, OOF opened the world’s first contemporary art gallery in a football stadium. Located in a Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse in the grounds of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, OOF Gallery continues to present a cutting-edge programme of exhibitions and events dedicated to football and the culture that surrounds it.

Founded by the art critic Eddy Frankel and curators Justin and Jennie Hammond, the gallery also hosts nine artist studios and is home to OOF magazine, a biannual print publication now on its seventeenth issue.

THE ART HOUSE is a space dedicated to supporting contemporary arts and culture through project, studio, and event-based activity. Our programme features emerging talent from across London, with activity ranging from exhibitions and panel discussions to workshops, magazine launches, and film screenings.