Paris’ Maison Européenne de la Photographie salutes British photographer Martin Parr with a retrospective of his work. While in the ’80s most serious documentary photographers were using black and white film Parr pushed the limits of the medium with exaggerated color pictures often portraying banal subjects. His pioneering series – “Last Resort” (1986), “The Cost of Living” (1989) and “Small World” (1994) – now rank as a major turning point for contemporary photography. Parr gained his reputation through his ironic look at British middle and working class consumer society. The MEP’s exhibition includes not only his legendary depictions of Great Britain’s Thatcher era, but also some of the photographer’s early work in black in white created during the 1970s – as well as newer pictures such as “Common Sense” and “Cherry Blossom.” Continue reading “Martin Parr’s True Colors”
Picturing “No Man’s Land”
Rather than security, the wall will only guarantee endless war. Robert Frost wrote that ‘good fences make good neighbors.' What do bad fences make?"
“I began photographing Israel’s ‘Security Fence’ in 2003, a decade after I made my first trip to the Middle East, following the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords. I have been documenting the Arab-Israeli conflict ever since that first visit.Canadian photo journalist Larry Towell is exhibiting his pictures of the Israeli-occupied territories in Palestine, at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson. His images provide a sensitive and humane view of the people of the Jenin refugee camp home to some 14 000 Palestinians. Recently, the Magnum photographer had this to say about his experience taking those pictures. Continue reading “Picturing “No Man’s Land””