GB. England. Dorset. Great Dorset Steam Fair. 2022
This exhibition allows the public to revisit the work of Martin Parr, which captures the absurdities and malfunctions of our contemporary world through the different series created from the late 1970s to the present day. For fifty years, and in locations all around the globe, the photographer has steadily built up a corpus of work that offers a striking portrait of the inequalities of our planet and the excesses of today’s modern lifestyle.
Martin Parr, Cozumel, Mexico, 2002 © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos
Martin Parr, ITALY. Sorrento. 2014
ITALY. Venice. A tourist takes a picture while pigeons surround her. 2005
INDIA. Jaipur. Amer Fort. 2019
INDIA. Mumbai. Chowpatty Beach. 2018
I’m creating entertainment, which has a serious message if you want to read into it, but I don’t expect to change anyone’s minci – l’m just showing them what they think they may know already.
–Martin Parr, 2021
USA. New York. Fashion shoot for Amica. From ‘Fashion Magazine’. 1999
GB. Scotland. Glasgow. Fairy cakes. 1999
USA. Las Vegas. 2000
JAPAN. Tokyo. From ‘Common Sense’. 1998
SWITZERLAND. Kleine Scheidegg. 1994
Through his numerous series, starting with those done in Ireland and Great Britain, and then internationally from the 1990s onwards, several recurring themes emerge. These include: the ravages of mass tourism, the prevalence of car culture, our dependence on technology, consumer excess, and even our ambivalent relationship with the living world. Always from his unique, offbeat perspective, Martin Parr indirectly addresses several major recognized causes of climate change: the unchecked use of transportation, the reliance on fossil fuels, global overconsumption, and environmental damage. His work, seemingly light-hearted at first, gradually reveals itself over time and in light of changing mentalities, to be more serious than initially appeared. In retrospect, the satirical dimension of his work places it within a certain British tradition of incisive humour and bittersweet irony, serving an indirect yet profound critique.
USA. California. Venice Beach. From ‘Common Sense’. 1998
Japan. Miyazaki. The Artificial beach inside the Ocean Dome. 1996
SWITZERLAND. Zurich. 1997
SWITZERLAND. Zurich. From ‘Common Sense’. 1997. SWITZERLAND. Zurich. From ‘Common Sense’. 1997
GB. England. Salford. Spending Time. 1986. GB. England. Salford. Spending Time. 1986
Through some one hundred and eighty works spanning over fifty years of production and ranging from his early black and white pieces to recent images, the exhibition addresses the chaos of contemporary society across five main sections, organized according to their recurring themes, motifs, and obsessions. These sections explore the way in which leisure alters the environment.
Curators: Quentin Bajac, in collaboration with Martin Parr and Clémentine de la Féronnière
An exhibition produced by Jeu de Paume
Exhibition design: Kevin Lebouvier
Le Jeu de Paume is subsidized by the Ministry of Culture and benefits from the support of Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre, a privileged patron.
In partnership with RATP
Associated medias : France TV, M Le magazine du Monde, Konbini, France Inter
Martin Parr: Global Warning
January 30 – May 24, 2026 / Jeu de Paume, Paris, France
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