Unseen City: Photos by Martin Parr
4 March – 31 July 2016
Martin Parr’s major photographic exhibition at Guildhall Art Gallery captures pomp, ceremony and unguarded moments in the City of London
- Guildhall Art Gallery presents its first major photography exhibition - with works by the acclaimed British photographer Martin Parr
- Lord Mayors, City dignitaries, bystanders and Her Majesty The Queen feature in Parr’s playful take on the ‘unseen’ City
- Ancient and modern traditions, unseen private ceremonies, Banquets and behind-the-scenes moments are captured to reveal the traditions, quirks and people who make up the unique character of the City
- The exhibition will run from 4 March – 31 July 2016
- Press Preview: Thursday 3 March, 18:00 – 20:30pm, Guildhall Art Gallery, London, EC2V 5AE
Martin Parr has been the City of London’s photographer-in-residence since 2013. In those two years, he has documented the life of the City, across three mayoralties. During this time, Parr has been granted unprecedented access to high-profile occasions where guests have included Her Majesty The Queen and dignitaries. The resulting images offer a new perspective on the City of London and create a significant documentary record of its colour and character for years to come.
Through Parr’s playful eye for detail and visual dynamism, visitors will gain access to the world of private ceremonies, ancient and modern traditions, processions, banquets, public occasions and informal behind-the-scenes shots. Parr offers a human perspective on ceremony and those moments unseen to the general public – capturing the unguarded moments that would otherwise go unnoticed.
Whether the public are familiar or unfamiliar with the City of London, this exhibition will display the unique character of the traditions, quirks and people who make up the City. This exhibition provides the opportunity to see how the City operates, up close and personal – sparking debate, dispelling myths and sharing surprising insights.
Following the exhibition, Guildhall Art Gallery will acquire 20 pieces for the contemporary permanent collection, adding Parr’s timely photographs alongside centuries of works that represent historic and present London.
Katherine Pearce, Curator at Guildhall Art Gallery says:
“This major exhibition opens up the City of London in a way never before seen. Martin Parr’s photographs allow everyone – both from outside and within the City – an unprecedented behind-the-scenes view into this ancient and dynamic place. There are all kinds of things happening in the City that most people won’t ever come across. Parr reveals the ‘unseen’, literally and metaphorically. He pays attention to detail and spots things that make you think again about what you’re seeing.”
Unseen City: Photos by Martin Parr coincides with another exhibition, Strange and Familiar curated by Martin Parr, showing at another City favourite, Barbican Gallery. Strange and Familiar runs from 16 March to 19 June 2016 at Barbican Gallery and tickets from either venue will grant access to both exhibitions.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Guildhall Art Gallery
Katty Pearce
+44 (0)20 7332 3404 | katherine.pearce@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Kallaway Media Centre
All Kallaway press releases, images and news announcements can be found at mediacentre.kallaway.com
Guildhall Art Gallery Opening Times
Monday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm
Sunday, 12 noon – 4pm
Closures are required at short notice due to civic or state functions at Guildhall.
Admission £5.00* (concessions available)
Price includes admission to the permanent collection and a £1 voluntary donation to Guildhall Art Gallery. General admission is free.
*All exhibitions are free for members of the Art Fund, Museums Association, Friends of Guildhall Art Gallery, under 16s and City residents (with proof of address).
Events
Artist’s Platform: A Q&A with Martin Parr
Dates: TBA
An evening with the photographer, with a guest host. There will be a chance for the audience to ask questions, and enjoy a glass of wine in the gallery.
Lunchtime Curator’s Talks: One Thursday per month of the exhibition at 1pm.
Dates: 10th March, 7th April, 5th May, 2nd June, 7th July.
Martin Parr at Tower Bridge – from August 2016
Following the Guildhall Art Gallery exhibition, a selection of photographs will be exhibited at Tower Bridge, continuing the exhibition for a new audience.
About Martin Parr
Martin Parr (born 1952) is an internationally renowned contemporary photographer and member of the prestigious Magnum photography agency.
He began his career as a professional photographer and has subsequently taught photography intermittently from the mid-1970s. He was first recognised for his black-and-white photography in the north of England, Bad Weather (1982) and A Fair Day (1984), but switched to colour photography in 1984. The resulting work, The Last Resort: Photographs of New Brighton, was published in 1986.
Since 1994, Parr has been a member of Magnum Photos. He has published almost fifty books and featured in over eighty exhibitions worldwide, including a major retrospective at the Barbican, London. In 2008, he was made an Honorary Doctor of Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) in recognition for his ongoing contribution to photography and to MMU's School of Art.
Parr's approach to documentary photography is intimate and anthropological. Macro lenses, ring flash, high-saturation colour film and digital photography all allow him to put his subjects "under the microscope" in their own environment, giving them space to reveal their lives and values.
In 2008 Parr was awarded the Centenary Medal of The Royal Photographic Society 'in recognition of a sustained, significant contribution to the art of photography' which also carried with it an Honorary Fellowship (HonFRPS) of The Society.
For more information, visit www.martinparr.com.
About Guildhall Art Gallery
Established in 1886 as 'a Collection of Art Treasures worthy of the capital city,' Guildhall Art Gallery houses works dating from 1670 to the present, including seventeenth century portraits, Pre-Raphaelite masterpieces and a range of paintings documenting London's dramatic history. Alongside historic images of London, the gallery displays contemporary art works that also invite debate around some of the more controversial aspects associated with the Square Mile: plenty and progress, money and power, politics and protest.
Beneath the Gallery lie the remains of London’s Roman Amphitheatre, a space where the people of London would have gathered 2000 years ago for entertainment and debate.
Partnership with Barbican Art Gallery, Barbican Centre
Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by International Photographers
Curated by Martin Parr
16 March – 19 June 2016
Curated by the iconic British photographer Martin Parr, this exhibition is a timely consideration of how international photographers from the 1930s onwards have captured the social, cultural and political and topographical identity of the UK through the camera lens. From social documentary and street photography, to portraiture and architectural photography by some of the leading lights of 20th and 21st century photography such as Henri Cartier-Bresson (France), Edith Tudor-Hart (Austria), and Paul Strand (USA). Designed by Stirling Prize winning London based architects Witherford, Watson, Mann, Strange and Familiar presents a vibrant portrait of modern Britain and opens at Barbican Art Gallery on 16 March 2015. There will be a reduced price joint ticket available to visitors wishing to visit both Unseen City: Photos by Martin Parr at Guildhall Art Gallery and Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by International Photographers at the Barbican.
About the City of London Corporation
The City of London Corporation (COLC) provides local government and policing services for the financial and commercial heart of Britain, the 'S0quare Mile'. COLC provides both the Guildhall Art Gallery.
The City Corporation has three roles:
1) It supports London’s communities by working in partnership with neighbouring boroughs on economic regeneration, education and skills projects. In addition, the City of London Corporation’s charity, the City Bridge Trust, makes grants of more than £15 million annually to charitable projects across London; and it also supports education with three independent schools, three academic schools, a primary school and the world-renowned Guildhall School of Music & Drama;
2) It also helps look after key London heritage and green spaces including Tower Bridge, Museum of London, Barbican Centre, City Gardens, Hampstead Heath, Epping Forest, Burnham Beeches, and important ‘commons’ in south London;
3) It supports and promotes the ‘City’ as the world’s leading international financial and business centre, with outward and inward business delegations, high-profile civic events, research-driven policies all reflecting a long-term approach. See www.cityoflondon.gov.uk for more details.