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Martin Parr

Stephen Daiter Gallery presents it's third exhibition of photographs by Martin Parr, one of the UK’s most dynamic contemporary artists.  The important and often iconic Parr photographs in this show are drawn from nine series spanning over thirty years including: Small World, A Fair Day, Common Sense, Think of England, Fashion Magazine, Bad Weather, British Food, Mexico and The Last Resort.
 
With almost 50 monographs to his name Parr has exhibited extensively in Europe, the Americas and Asia at such renowned museums as the: Jeu de Paume, Paris; the Tate Modern, London and the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography.  His photographs are in the collections of: The Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Museum of Modern Art, NY; The Folkwang, Essen; and The Art Institute of Chicago just to name a few.
 
Influenced by American photographers such as William Eggleston, Bill Owens, Joel Meyerowitz, Garry Winogrand along with UK’s own Tony Ray-Jones, Parr began his formal training in the arts at Manchester Polytechnic in the early 1970s.  There he explored his growing curiosity for the choices we make: from the clothes we wear, to the groups we associate with, things we buy and even the people we love.  Parr’s photographs tell stories of the ordinary moments in our lives that we never would imagine could be worth telling: he catches us while we are eating; during the mundane rituals of our commute, work or home life; in uncomfortable moments being a tourist so obviously out of place in a foreign land.
 
Parr’s satire portrays life as it appears to be: from scenes of overcrowded British seaside resorts, to iridescent cupcakes, to the many ironic and odd moments he finds in our lives.  The photographs on view at Stephen Daiter Gallery shine an excessively bright light on the everyday in our lives, at once penetrating and often unflattering.  Parr at once challenges us to look at ourselves in unflattering ways while having a good laugh in the process.  In that he triumphs.
 
Opening reception on Friday. February 5, 5-8pm
Come and meet Martin Parr on Friday, March 12, 5-8pm