Martin Parr To Open at the Haus der Kunst, Munich

Saturday, 01 March 2008 12:50

Munich, Germany - With this exhibition the Haus der Kunst continues its series, Martin Parr's own collections will be brought together for the first time. Parr is one of the most dynamic contemporary photographers. Regarded as a satirist of contemporary life, he has published more than thirty books, presented his works in countless solo and group exhibitions and is represented in outstanding national and international art collections. The fact that Parr himself is a collector is not generally known. 'Parrworld' places the artist's photographs in a dialogue with his collections, revealing cross-references and connections between these.

Parr, who is a member of the legendary photography agency Magnum, also views photography as an act of collecting. In 'Parrworld' his new work series 'Luxury' will be presented along with his collections of photography books, postcards, objects and photographs by British and international artists. Parr exposes another facet of his personality. His fascination with the trite and his preference for exceptions to rules, as well as for the unusual and peculiar, lend his collections their individual character. 'Parrworld' was developed in close collaboration with the photographer and includes five of his collections:

Postcards - The works from this collection could almost describe an entire century. At a time when daily newspapers were not technically able to print photographs there was already a great demand for images that depicted current events. At the end of the 19th century, interest in the sensational led to the usage of the previously practised process of wood and copperplate engravings as photographic picture postcards, which served as a particularly prompt form of reporting and which were based on the method's quick and inexpensive method of production. A collection of these news images is the foundation of this postcard collection that Parr began to compile thirty years ago. Further focuses are studio portraits, images by the photographers Warner Gothard and John Hinde, vacation postcards and curiosities, such as 'boring postcards' depicting motorways, prefabricated buildings and interiors. This collection is an example of the changing way this simple, affordable and popular form of communication has been used. The postcards present their motifs in a condensed form, as an ideal, which is, of course, a construction by the photographer.

Objects - United in this collection are different types of objects, including items from the Soviet 'Sputnik era', Maggie Thatcher's reign, the pop band the Spice Girls' and from the attacks of 9/11, all of which represent events that have shaped our collective memory because of their presence in the media where photography plays a fundamental role. There is not a single everyday object or curiosity that has not been checked by Parr for its significance as a possible symbol for a certain zeitgeist. Objects from various sources are arranged thematically by the artist and can thus be read in a new manner: "I am very attracted to objects, which are ephemeral. Their significance and cultural context change as the world moves on. Many of these objects are associated with people or events that are locked into the glories of a certain time and place. When these glories fade, the object takes on a certain resonance that is the driving force of this collection".

Photography Books - Parr's unique collection of national and international books on photography addresses the medium of photography and the printed image. The collection shows the history of photography books based on a selection of particularly important or interestingly designed publications, from icons in book art to publications by lesser-known publishing houses.

Photography Collections - Parr's interest in social themes is also reflected in his collections of photographs, which are presented in a British and an international section. The first section is comprised of the most extensive private collection in Great Britain today. Here a selection of social-documentary positions with works from the 70s and 80s by artists such as Tony Ray-Jones, Chris Killip and Graham Smith can be seen. Artists such as Keith Arnatt, Mark Neville, Jem Southam and Tom Wood represent contemporary British photography.

The international part of this collection is represented by photographs that have influenced Parr or with which he has built up a personal relationship: images by such masters as Robert Frank, Garry Winogrand and William Eggleston are juxtaposed with works by friends including John Gossage and Gilles Peress. Another focus is made up of works by Japanese photographers, who are relatively unknown in Germany, such as Osamu Kanemura, Kohei Yoshiyuki and Rinko Kawauchi.

Luxury - In this section of 'Parrworld' the new series 'Luxury' by the much-acclaimed photographer will be exhibited for the first time. The series is a depiction of wealth in the western world, which Parr considers to be just as problematic as poverty: "We are all too wealthy for our own good".

In the 80s Parr switched to colour photography and addressed issues of recreational activity, consumerism, mass tourism, mobility and communication in extensive series. Parr examines national characteristics, their global levelling and international phenomena, for their validity as symbols for the future understanding of our cultural civilizations. It hence becomes possible for us to unite an analysis of visible signs of globalisation with unusual visual experiences. The individual is juxtaposed with the universal, contradictions remain unresolved, distinctiveness is accepted and the bizarre valued.

Parr refers to the power of omnipresent images in the media and advertising as 'propaganda'. He contradicts this with criticism, temptation and humour. Many of his images appear exaggerated, even absurd in their peculiar motifs, garish colours and complex perspectives. His photographs are original and entertaining, accessible and intelligible.