In Bologna, more than 60 shots trace Martin Parr's long career with his most famous series

From September 12, 2024 to January 6, 2025, the Museo Civico Archeologico di Bologna will host the exhibition Martin Parr. Short & Sweet, curated by Martin Parr, in collaboration with Magnum Photos, and produced by 24 ORE Cultura - Gruppo 24 ORE.

More than sixty shots, selected by the author, will be on display, accompanied by installation elements and wall papers. Through a photographic chronicle devoid of filters and rhetoric, the exhibition traces Martin Parr’s long career, highlighting his unprecedented documentary style that investigates the social and cultural inconsistencies of the Western world, with a focus on Europe.

The exhibition opens with the Non-Conformists series, a collection of black-and-white images taken between 1975 and 1980 by an inspired young Parr. It then continues with his best-known color series, including The Last Resort, an ironic and provocative reportage on the beaches of Brighton, and Common Sense, which derisively explores the plasticized and tawdry reality of consumerism. Another project, still in progress, concerns tourism and shows the difference between the idealized mythology of famous places and the reality degraded by tourist use.

In addition to tourism, Parr also documents dancing, a theme that captures the mad energy of dance floors and the collective body that manifests itself without reservation. The exhibition concludes with a series of shots devoted to the beach, a subject dear to the author, bringing together images from around the world in a kaleidoscope of undressed bodies showing themselves in public.

This retrospective is intended to offer a broad overview of Martin Parr’s work, highlighting his unique ability to document the contradictions of contemporary society with irony and acuity.

Image: Martin Parr, Common Sense, 1995-1999 © Martin Parr/Magnum Photos

In Bologna, more than 60 shots trace Martin Parr's long career with his most famous series

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