Two cultural institutions in Frankfurt offer a rich and complementary look at the wide-ranging body of work by this living British legend, from his earliest to his latest works.
© Martin Parr / Magnum Photos
At the end of the year, Martin Parr's work takes up residence in Goethe's hometown with two parallel exhibitions. The Fotografie Forum Frankfurt (FFF) showcases the early photographs of the man who cast his mischievous, critical and social gaze on the vanities of the world. The exhibition is based on his book Early Works (ed. Maison CF, 2019). More than 50 rarely seen black and white photographs, taken between 1970 and 1985, are presented for the first time in Germany at this photographic art center, which is celebrating its fortieth anniversary.
© Martin Parr / Magnum Photos
The themes and the intrinsic universe of this native of Epsom, England, member of the Magnum agency, are already present. From the activities of ornithological clubs in Surrey, to pilgrims attending the Pope's mass in Ireland, to vacation resorts and village banquets. A case in point is the amusing image superimposing a representation of the Last Supper and this lady having a buffet lunch in a Baptist chapel, or this cow posing as a tourist on the slopes of Glastonbury Tor.
© Martin Parr / Magnum Photos
UNFILTERED DAILY LIFE
Galerie Leica focuses on color photography by the 72-year-old icon. This selection continues to probe the boundaries between comedy and seriousness, reality and exaggeration, inviting the viewer to re-examine the absurdities of existence and consumer culture from a new angle. Like the woman whose face is obscured by an English flag, the swan staring at us on camera, the postcard-like image of a crowded beach with the price tagged on it.
© Martin Parr / Magnum Photos
His customary satirical vision has never lost sight of social and cultural issues, with its play on shift and composition. For more than five decades, Martin Parr's deliberate excess has never ceased to put the very essence of everyday life at the heart of his aesthetic images, whether in grayscale or saturated color.
" MARTIN PARR. EARLY WORKS" FOTOGRAFIE FORUM FRANKFURT (FFF)
BRAUBACHSTRASSE 30-32, FRANKFURT AM MAIN (GERMANY)
UNTIL FEBRUARY 16, 2025
FFFRANKFURT.ORG
"MARTIN PARR IN COLOR" LEICA GALLERY FRANKFURT
GROSSER HIRSCHGRABEN 15, FRANKFURT AM MAIN (GERMANY)
UNTIL JANUARY 4, 2025
LEICA-CAMERA.COM
