Martin Parr .- Luxury
25/May/2010 - 23/Jul/2010
The meaning of Martin Parr Luxury pictures has shifted since he started takind them.
Then, there was neither credit crunch nor financial crisis then, and no moral crisis abour the way we’ve been living (…)
The world financial crisis will lead to a reassessment of our values, and hopefully what will come out of that will be a few more people who will be a bit more down to earth and humble…
Will people realise that they don’t need three yachts, don’t need to always flight in a private jet, that to be a bit morehumble is ok?
Paul Smith. London, 2009
Luxury is MARTIN PARR´s second individual exposition at the gallery Espacio Mínimo. It presents a selection of photographs that pertain to the series of work with the same title in his last publication between 2002 and 2003. Even though it appears conceptually different to Parr´s previous series, such as Common Sense, paradoxically, it evokes the same sentiments in the viewers. The content and subjects are neither cruel nor particularly affectionate, but it is ironic and many times funny.
Traditionally, images of poverty are captured within the domain of the “concerned photographer”, but interestingly, Parr photographs the wealthy in the same spirit. The series exhibits the different ways in which wealth is displayed in society. The photographs are taken within societies where wealth is highly concentrated and where it is most visible. These places range from fashion shows to the most prestigious art fairs, and also pass through horse shows and other exclusive and sophisticated events in cities established as wealth hot spots in Europe and America or in new emerging countries.
Martin Parr materializes the cultural tendencies, likes, and customs of the new and ostentatious upper class through his series Luxury. He is successful in capturing these excessively tedious clichés while showing a more humane side as well. Although he abandons the traditional subjects of his previous works, the working and middle classes, Parr continues his mission to represent the rampant homogeneity that permeates all corners of the world and all levels of society.
One of the prominent aspects of the exposition is the contrast of the settings he selects. These places have a recent history of economic and political instability which struggles with the images of wealth and luxury that the exposition displays, such as the extravagant horse shows in the Dubai desert, the opulent display of wealth in communist China or the Millionaires fair in Moscow.
“It is a world that inspires curiosity,” declares Parr. “For four years I went to all of the fairs and events that I could. It was not that difficult because I always meet someone who knew someone who got me into the events. It was all very fascinating and I never felt uncomfortable. My camera always distanced me from the real world. I did not know what was going to happen, and after the economic crisis the series took on a whole different meaning. It is a world that has vanished. The money has not disappeared, and evidentially neither have the rich, but if this show had not been realized, money and wealth would persist without control or restrictions.”
A member of Magnum since 1994, Martin Parr (Espom, Surrey, United Kingdom 1952) worked in journalism and publicity in the 70s, which he uses as the base and model for his contemporary photographic works. It was here that he created his personal and distinctive aesthetic style and vision. He has exhibited his work in many important private galleries – Rocket Gallery, Londres, Janet Borden, New York, Kamel Mennour, Paris, Nicola Von Senger, Zurich, Gallery du Jour, Paris, Studio Trisorio, Nápoles … and in the most distinguished museums and public institutions such as the Reina Sofia in Madrid, the National Museum of Photography in Copenhagen, Kunsthalle in Rotterdam, the Montreal Festival of Photography, Die Kunsthalle in Mannheim, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Seoul Arts Center, Haus der Kunst in Munich, Jeu De Paumme in Paris, Centro de la Imagen de Mexico D. F., Barbican Art Gallery in London, Sprengel Museum in Hanover…
