Dirk-Jan Visser reveals the human tragedy of a country torn apart by war from the perspective of two football teams. The two teams FK Qarabag Agdam and FK Karabakh Stepanakert symbolize the conflict in and around Nagorno-Karabakh in the Caucasus. With the aid of Armenia, in 1994 the region broke away from Azerbaijan, but to date is not recognized as an independent state by any country.

For three years photographer Dirk-Jan Visser and writer Arthur Huizinga followed six people who are central to the exhibition and accompanying photo book. Their lives are exemplary for the daily lives of players and coaches, fighters and refugees, wives and widows. 

Pre-sale offer book OFFSIDE

The OFFSIDE project is developed by Paradox. To accompany the exhibition Paradox / Ydoc Publishing is bringing out a photo book with the same title, OFFSIDE - Football in Exile by photographer Dirk-Jan Visser and writer Arthur Huizinga. Pre-sale offer: €39,50, signed and numbered.

© Dirk-Jan Visser

Noorderlicht Photogallery
OFFSIDE: May 26th - July 8th
Akerkhof 12, Groningen, The Netherlands
Wednesday - Sunday
noon - 6 p.m.
Admission: FREE

Dirk-Jan Visser and Arthur Huizinga will present the lecture Sport and Identity, about the OFFSIDE project, in the Academiegebouw of the University of Groningen. The lecture is part of the Night of Art and Science.

Like thousands of other Azerbaijani refugees, the Azerbaijani football club FK Qarabag Agdam had to flee the region after the destruction of its home base in Agdam by Karabakh-Armenian forces. The identity of the refugees is intertwined with the continued existence of the club in exile; the club is their only remaining link with the past. FK Karabakh Stepanakert is left behind and derives its identity from the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. As long as the republic is not acknowledged, the club is banned from professional footbal. 

Order tickets on: www.denachtvankunstenwetenschap.nl.

© Dirk-Jan Visser

The Gallery will be open during the Night from 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. The lecture is in Dutch.

Apply now for the third edition of this unique one year master class for professional photojournalists and social documentary photographers. It aims at developing your skills as photographers and marketers. 

Each meeting will be attended by two professionals from the photography business. This years Masters are: Francis Hodgson, Financial Times photography critic; Adriaan Monshouwer, secretary for the World Press Photo jury for 12 years; Magdalena Herrera, director of photography of GEO France magazine; Claudine Boeglin, multimedia director Thomson Reuters Foundation; David Birkitt, DMB Media founder and Freelance Creative Director Rob van Bracht.

© Mischa Christen / Gitte Brugman

Don't miss out on our current exhibition Awarded Commitment in the Noorderlicht Photogallery. This exhibition about photography awards with a mission, runs until May 20th. Please view our trailer for an impression.

The exhibition shows 15 recent winners and nominees in three photography competitions that have social consciousness-raising as their mission: the Prix Pictet, the FotoEvidence Book Award and the AnthropoGraphia Award for Human Rights. The result is a gripping exhibition about human respect, crying injustice and a sustainable world. 

© Stefano de Luigi

The Noorderlicht exhibition Cruel and Unusual is on tour. Until June 3rd, you can visit the exhibition about life behind bars in De Melkweg in Amsterdam. Next, the exhibition curated by Hester Keijser and Pete Brook will be part of Photoville in New York.

This new photofestival is organized by United Photo Industries in Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York and runs from June 22nd until July 1st.  The Fence is part of the festival, of which Noorderlichts festival coordinator is a proud jury member.

© Araminta de Clermont

The 19th edition of the Noorderlicht International Photofestival will go by the title Terra Cognita and runs from 2 September through 7 October in Oranjewoud, Heerenveen and Drachten, The Netherlands.