The Victory Club had already featured as a location in Amber’s film Like Father. It stood out as a place still thriving in the heart of a struggling town, where shared spaces and rituals remained vital. Figura’s photographs observe the rhythms of the club and the pride of its members, capturing a culture shaped by tradition, endurance and belonging. The images balance formality with intimacy, giving space to both the spectacle and the quiet gestures of everyday life.

The project was supported through a Year of the Artist residency and first shown at the club itself in 2001. Grounded in place and shaped through conversation, it adds another layer to the gallery’s long engagement with East Durham, marking a moment of continuity in a landscape often framed by loss.

Martin Figura is a British photographer whose work explores themes of memory, family and place, often drawing from personal history. His projects range from portraits to documentary series, combining a precise visual style with a reflective engagement with subject matter. Figura’s photography is shaped by his background in the military and the arts, and he often works across still image, installation and text to deepen narrative context. His visual work sits alongside his reputation as a writer and performer, with both strands contributing to a broader creative practice rooted in lived experience.