Martin Parr is a British documentary photographer, born in 1952 and based in Bristol/London, UK. He is most well known for his photographic projects that take an intimate and satirical look at the aspects of modern life. In particular he documents the social classes of England, drawing on stereotypes and society’s expectations. His work shows us how we live, how we present ourselves to others, and what we value in life; whether it be the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the things we buy or our leisure activities. His images show us the familiar in a way that we haven’t seen it before; it may be labelled as exaggerated or even grotesque, due to his unusual perspectives and strange motifs. His major projects include rural communities (1975–82), The Last Resort (1983–85), The Cost of Living (1987–89), Small World (1987–94) and Common Sense (1995–99).
The Last Resort was Parr’s first project that showed his work moving towards his now distinct personal style: it featured bright colours and vivid images, capturing the holidaymakers and tourists of New Brighton, which set alight his passion for observing society. The series has since become a modern classic. In contrast, Common Sense was a global project, and developed his technique further and gained him more recognition as a satirical photojournalist. The aim of the project was to highlight the idiosyncrasies of different contemporary cultures, such as a British cup of tea, a dazzling Hollywood smile and other similar cultural clichés.
“With photography, I like to create fiction out of reality. I try and do this by taking society’s natural prejudice and giving this a twist”
– Martin Parr
PHOT40151 / THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S EYE, JADE WARD, SUPPORTING WORK 