Martin Parr, Fashion Magazine, France, 1997-2005

Parr visualises in André Simoens Gallery a completely different world from the one he evoked here in 2000 and 2004 when showing his series Common Sense and his Phone Project. The current exhibition focuses on the latest series of photographs, the Luxury Series 2004 to 2008 and the Fashion Series 2001 to 2005.

Instead of slices of everyday life, Parr has now a keen eye for the luxury of the jetset: people who are comfortable showing off their wealth on various locations: a race meeting in Dubai, the Melbourne cup in Australia, a car show in Bejing and various prestigious international art fairs such as the 2008 Frieze Art Fair in London.

By shifting from the poor and middle class people to the rich, Parr proves to be a tremendous polariser. He is one of the few photographers who are able to develop an oeuvre depicting a colourful panoramic view of society: from the unappealing mass consumers, the curious rituals of the middle class to the eccentric customs of the super-rich.

Striking in Parr’s work is its underlying humor. Parr’s photographs show contemporary social transactions with a certain ironic and critical eye for social events. This can be illustrated well in older pictures such as a seaside café where a crowd of women screams for hotdogs or camera-laden tourists invading tourists sites. With his incredibly perceptive eye, he has developed his passion for recording everyday events. Bittersweet irony and an eye for social nuances is a trait he shares with other British artists.

British artist Martin Parr is one of the most important photographers of the last two decades. His works are part of the permanent collections of prestigious institutions throughout the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, National Gallery of Australia and Tate, London.

Also a filmmaker, author, gallery curator and occasional offbeat fashion photographer, he is a workaholic who is constantly on the move, inventing new projects. He is featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for the 41 simultaneous worldwide exhibitions of his 1999 ‘Common Sense’ series.

Martin Parr has been a member of Magnum since 1994.