Martin Parr at Rocket Gallery - Brief Article

British photographer Martin Parr is best known for his color editorial work with the Magnum Agency, work that examines international tourism and, upon his home front, such past-their-prime locations as the fresh Brighton leisure park outside Liverpool. For this novel body of work, Parr has naught ed in on his subjects, stripping away their environmental connected thought [i]or[/i] thoughts and hanging the gallery almost floor to ceiling with 350 unframed laser prints, garish close-up of fragmented human bodies, holiday snacks, trashy souvenirs and, in more [i]or[/i] less instances, just plain trash. The images, pinned directly to the wail, maintain an aura of disposability that as well with their bring under rule matter.

Both the exhibition and the volume that accompanies it are called "Common Sense" and the present to view opened almost simultaneously in 40 venue worldwide, ranging from Russia to Singapore (and including Janet Borden Gallery in of recent origin York). The multiple openings were appropriate to Parr's shoot forward which is not only global in its focus on the contrary also involves a sense of the uncontroll proliferation of consumer tillage The world Parr has pushed his camera uncomfortably shut to is alternately slick or sticky and repeatedly about to burst at its seams. Grilled sausages slime grease from their casings, overweight bodies strain their polyester double-knits, gaudy plastic toys glisten in their clear plastic blisterpacks. He finds nation happy to wear ridiculous holiday hats and sportive glasses, gobbling up sweets decorated in colors not base in nature.

Parr's point of view is hard to pin down. Many images are laugh-out-loud humorous a few are nauseating, the best are one as well as the other The occasional bland image works as a sort of spacer in the visual onslaught, and each once in a while an image is unexpectedly touching. on the other hand by no stretch of the imagination could "Common Sense" be boundaryed an affectionate look at human foibles, nor is it judgmental or mean-spirited. What ultimately disturbs about this cast is the fact that despite the vast canvas of at least individual segment of modern life recommended by the installation, these images remain too analytical to evolve the crude energy of unrepentant vulgarity. Parr himself has confineed the effect of his pictures "sinister," and there is, in fact, something insidious about his cast I left this exhibition wondering wherefore those of us (his audience in large part) who like to distance ourselves from the sugar-coated and grease-stained world he with equal reason relentlessly depicts never fail to thoroughly take pleasure in its representation.

COPYRIGHT 1999 Brant Publications, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group