Martin Parr

© Martin Parr / Magnum Photos

Großbritannien | 1952 – 2025

“Some of the shoots feature models, some are people who were cast in the street,
sometimes you cannot tell the difference. Some shoots resemble documentary,
some look more like fashion, they can even look like art.
What is exciting is that it is difficult to tell the difference.
The traditional boundaries of these worlds are slipping away
and I am enjoying exploring these new fusions.”

Martin Parr

Martin Parr is not a famous fashion photographer. Martin Parr is Martin Parr. His style has become iconic, the very embodiment of a unique and colorful vision of our world, rooted in everyday life. He breaks with conventional aesthetic codes and captures the essence of life in its simplest form, unfiltered and with a kind of brutal honesty that, strangely enough, does not hurt. More than anything, Martin Parr’s photographs remind us that true beauty lies in the authenticity of every moment.

Since 1980, numerous fashion houses and magazines have shown interest in the artist’s style. Rather than portraying fashion as a glamorous, perfect ideal, Parr depicts it in real-life, often surprisingly mundane contexts. His photographs appear spontaneous and unposed. Models do not live up to ethereal icons, but are part of a lively, sometimes chaotic environment – be it on beaches, in streets or in tourist hotspots. This creates a fascinating contrast between the artificial world of fashion and the immediacy of everyday life. Each image becomes a celebration of diversity and vitality.

A key feature of “Fashion aux Parr” is Parr’s distinctive use of bold colours, direct flash lighting and unusual perspectives. These stylistic devices lend the images a certain exaggeration. Fashion is not merely presented, but simultaneously questioned: what does style mean in a world of mass consumption? How do trends influence our behaviour and our perception of beauty? Furthermore, Parr also addresses social differences and cultural peculiarities. In his images, clothing becomes an expression of identity, status and belonging – but also a mirror of the absurdities and contradictions of our consumer society. His works encourage us to view fashion not merely as an aesthetic phenomenon, but also as a social and cultural statement, as entertaining as it is thought-provoking.

Martin Parr was a British documentary photographer, photojournalist and collector, with an unmistakable, almost anthropological perspective on everyday life. As a former president of Magnum, Parr has earned a place of honor in the history of photography through his unique way of capturing society. 

Martin Parr was a close friend of the festival in Baden, which honored his work in 2024 with a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ and a major retrospective.