Cardiff City fans: Exhibition of photographs by Bartosz Nowicki
- Published
Photographer Bartosz Nowicki, 31, was commissioned by a German football magazine to take pictures of Cardiff fans protesting against the club's switch to a red home kit at the first match of last season. The protests did not materialise but, after getting to know some of the supporters, he ended up following the Bluebirds home and away.
The season was one of the most successful in Cardiff's history as the club secured promotion to the Premier League by finishing top of the Championship. But Mr Nowicki, who has lived in Cardiff for over seven years, said the motivation for his work was to show Cardiff City fans.
The photographs Mr Nowicki took are featured in an exhibition (City - The Season) running at the second-floor gallery at 102 Bute Street in Cardiff Bay. They can be viewed until the end of June between 12:00 and 18:00 BST (Wednesday to Sunday).
Mr Nowicki said he "loved" the Cardiff fans and was warmly welcomed by them on trips.
"I'm not very interested in what's happening on the pitch. I'm more interested in the social aspects of it all and how it affects the fans," said Mr Nowicki.
The club's main colours changed from blue to red on the instructions of Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan (pictured) who believed it would help the club market itself in the Far East. "What I noticed the most was no matter how good the results were there were no trips where I didn't hear the words blue and red," said Mr Nowicki.
Cardiff City clinched promotion to the Premier League with a draw at home to Charlton which saw thousands of fans celebrating on the pitch.
Mr Nowicki intends following the fans for at least another two seasons. "It's a long-term project," he said.
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