Martin Parr

Four artists imagine the world divided into nice, neat parcels. Monique Genton’s magnificent installation of colourful grassy squares reminds us of tidy lawns – the land-owner’s disciplining of nature. Toni Hakenscheid takes us into the mind of the child who possesses the world through a train set or a picture postcard – except these pictures are all from the real world! Martin Parr takes us around the globe looking for the perfect parking space. In an elaborate parody of corporate development, Mike Yuhasz encourages us to buy up all the land and resources of the Canadian North.

Martin Parr was born in Epsom, Surrey, UK, in 1952 and studied photography at Manchester Polytechnic. He is a full member of the Magnum Photographic Corporation. Known for innovative imagery and an oblique approach to social documentary, Parr has recently developed an interest in filmmaking and in the application of photography to fashion and advertising. In 2004 Parr acted as guest artistic director for Rencontres d’Arles. The Barbican Art Gallery and the National Museum mounted a large retrospective and touring exhibition of his work, Photos in Bradford, in 2002. Parr is professor of photography at the University of Wales Newport campus.