Grassroots and Tarmac

Originally motivated by the sculptural qualities of these goalposts and the spaces where the game is played, the project has developed into an objective archive of diverse cultural landscapes with a common obsession, football. What began as a personal passion whilst working in South Africa in 1995, the project and archive now extends to around 1000 images from 50 countries.

Photographing the first of these structures I immediately recognized something of what I was striving to achieve as an artist. Formally they explore sculptural concerns; the need to occupy a physical space, to stand up against the forces of gravity and a practical inventiveness using whatever material was at hand.
They are literally a window into vastly different spaces, intimately reflecting their immediate environment, leaving you to wonder ‘who plays here’. Devoid of action, they are intended as quiet reflections of the ephemera left behind once the game has moved on.

Whether in the vast open landscapes or an urban backstreet, they are about claiming a space. Whilst not created as art, common to all are the endless possibilities for reinvention within the strict rules of two verticals and a horizontal.

Begun in 1995, the body of work continues to grow. First published by Penguin Books – Posts, in 1999, republished in Germany in 2006, they have also been exhibited in Japan, Korea, South Africa, Germany, Switzerland, FIFA Headquarters, Portugal, Macedonia, the UK, including Tate Modern and Tate Liverpool.  A touring exhibition Playing Away UK was curated by Oriel Mostyn Galley between 2002/07 with a publication alongside.. Images from the series have also been published in numerous newspapers and magazines.


Contact: nevillegabie@gmail.com
Neville Gabie is represented by: daniellearnaud.com