Martin Parr

MARTIN PARR (Surrey, United Kingdom, 1952).
"Knowsley Safari Park, England, 1990.
Photograph.
Magnum edition.
Measurements: 15 x 15 cm.

Martin Parr's tender photograph, titled "Knowsley Safari Park, England, Great Britain" (1990), is a classic example of the photographer's style, known for his satirical, intimate and anthropological look at modern British life, leisure and consumption.

Martin Parr is arguably the most influential and innovative figure in British social documentary photography. He is a British photographer and a member of the Magnum Agency since 1994. His work is characterized by the irony of his look at the lifestyle of ordinary people in Britain. The sense of humor is very important in Martin Parr's work. For him, it is the way to save oneself from ridicule and decadence in our daily life. The banality, boredom and meaninglessness of modern life is captured in works such as "Boring Couples" and "Common Sense". His interest in photography was encouraged as a child by his grandfather, George Parr, an amateur photographer, but even so he was a natural, with a sensitivity for framing and lighting. Parr studied photography at Manchester Polytechnic from 1970 to 1973. In the early 1980s, his work reflected the lifestyle of ordinary people in Britain, reflecting the social deterioration and problems of the working class during Margaret Thatcher's government. He has been a member of the Magnum Agency since 1994. In 2004 he was appointed professor of photography at the University of Wales and guest artistic director of the Rencontres D'Arles. In 2006 he received the Erich Salomon Award. In 2008 he received the PHotoEspaña Baume et Mercier Award. In 2023 he received the International Photography Award of Alcobendas, Madrid (Spain). Martin Parr is represented by the kamel mennour gallery in Paris, France. He has exhibited in the following exhibitions, among others: 2002-2004 Photographic Works 1971-2000 - Barbican Art Gallery, London, UK; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain; Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, France; Kunsthal, Rotterdam, Netherlands; National Museum of Photography, Copenhagen, Denmark; National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, Bradford, UK; Deichtorhallen, Hamburg, Germany 1995-2004 Small World - Explorafoto, Salamanca, Spain; Photographic Festival, Skopelos, Greece; Chapelle de l'Ancien Carmel de Tarbes, France; Maison de la Culture d'Amiens, France; The Photographers' Gallery, London, UK 2000 Autoportrait & Flowers - Galerie du Jour, Paris, France 2000 Think of England - Rocket Gallery, London, UK 1999 Food, Design for Living - Kevin Hall Gallery, Glasgow, UK 1999 Common Sense - Amsterdam Centrum voor Photography, Amsterdam, Netherlands.