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5/5/2008

Parrworld

Haus der Kunst, Munich

With this exhibition the Haus der Kunst continues its series, first launched in 2003, of presenting photographic collections. After 'Partners', which showed works from the Canadian Ydessa Hendeles's collection, 'Occupying Space', with works from the Generali Foundation and 'Der Körper der Photographie' (The Body of Photography), which exhibited the Herzog Collection, 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. Together these form a cabinet of media curiosities, which simultaneously express the psyche of its creator. By ironically juggling the cliché of the bizarre British collector of different kinds of objects, 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. All of photography's fields of application, from advertising to propaganda, from contract photography to artistic self-expression in a self-designed book, are presented here. Following Parr and Garry Badger's publication of their two volumes of 'The Photobook - A History', in 2004 and 2006 respectively, these photography books have become sought after collector's items. Also included in this section are book-dummies; book designs created by the artists for their publications, displayed here together with several original photographs.

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". Martin Parr became well-known in the early 80s with the publication of his book 'Bad Weather', the subject of which was Great Britain's typical weather. His black and white photographs are characterised by a particular humour. The artist's photographs, however, are not an example of the 'smile-shutter camera', nor do they poke fun at the expense of others. When the director Wim Wenders says that each camera photographs in two directions, then this fact is particularly true for Martin Parr and it is even part of the credibility of his work. The photographer himself even stresses that his works can be seen as a contemporary view of society, but also as a kind of self-portrait. 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. For his new series 'Luxury', Martin Parr travelled to international cities such as Dubai, Durban and Moscow, photographing fashion shows, art and luxury products fairs and horse races, as well as Munich's Oktoberfest. Modesty is not necessarily a pronounced characteristic of the representatives of the international jet setter scene, who proudly present the insignia of new money and superficial growth. Using the means of the grotesque, Parr now uncompromisingly focuses his attention on the phenomenon of a new international upper class following his earlier projects on the working and middle classes.

Two books will accompany the show: 'Objects' by Martin Parr (with an introduction by Martin Parr; Chris Boot Ltd; 176 pages, 500 objects illustrated, ISBN 978-1-905712-08-3) and 'Postcards' by Martin Parr (with an essay by Thomas Weski; Chris Boot Ltd; 336 pages, 750 colour postcard reproductions; ISBN 978-1-905712-10-6)

After its presentation in the Haus der Kunst the exhibition will be on view at the Graphic Design Museum Beyerd Breda in the Netherlands (September 24, 2008 - January 6, 2009). Additional international venues will follow.

Press Conference Tuesday, May 6, 2008, 11 am

Haus der Kunst
Prinzregentenstrasse 1 - Munich

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