Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by International Photographers Curated by Martin Parr

Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by International Photographers Curated by Martin Parr Barbican Art Gallery, Barbican Centre, UK

16 March – 19 June 2016

Media View, Tuesday 15 March, 10am – 1pm

Supported by the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

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 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, the artists include Tina Barney (USA), Gian Butturini (Italy), Henri

Cartier-Bresson (France), Bruce Davidson (USA), Raymond Depardon (France), Rineke Dijkstra (The

Netherlands), Jim Dow (USA), Hans Eijkelboom (The Netherlands), Robert Frank (Switzerland),

Bruce Gilden (USA), Frank Habicht (Germany), Candida Höfer (Germany), Evelyn Hofer (Germany),

Axel Hütte (Germany), Sergio Larrain (Chile), Shinro Ohtake (Japan), Akihiko Okamura (Japan),

Cas Oorthuys (The Netherlands), Gilles Peress (France), Paul Strand (USA), Edith Tudor-Hart

(Austria), Hans van der Meer (The Netherlands) and Garry Winogrand (USA).

Martin Parr said: “The exhibition will reveal a very different take on British life than that produced by British photographers. It is both familiar and strange at the same time.”

Alongside the works exhibited, an extensive photobook section brings together an array of rare,

new and out-of-print publications by international photographers from the 1930s to now,

constituting a parallel history of Britain. Designed by Stirling Prize-winning London based architects

Witherford, Watson, Mann, Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by International Photographers opens at Barbican Art Gallery on 16 March 2015.

Jane Alison, Head of Visual Arts, Barbican, said: “Since its earliest days, the Barbican has been at the forefront of promoting photographic art. It is wonderful to welcome Martin Parr back to the Barbican 14 years after his hugely successful retrospective. As curator, Martin brings a discerning eye, his fascination with people and British culture, as well as his formidable knowledge and appreciation of international photography. This show promises to be a rich, varied and thought-provoking portrait of modern Britain.”

Each of the 23 photographers in the exhibition records different characteristics of life around

Britain in their own distinctive style. Starting in the mid-1930s with Edith Tudor-Hart’s images of

London’s East End to the slum housing areas of Tyneside that capture the child welfare,

unemployment and homelessness that characterised the interwar years. Henri Cartier-Bresson’s

images capture the celebratory spirit at the Coronation of King George VI in 1937 –

photographing the crowds lining the streets. The work of Gian Butturini and Frank Habicht show the

euphoria of the Swinging Sixties and the anti-War movement.

Paul Strand’s images feature the lives and landscape of the Scottish Isles of the Outer Hebrides in

the mid-1950s underscored by the politics of the Cold War and Britain’s emerging transatlantic

relationship, whilst Robert Frank’s portrayal of life in London alongside the coal mining towns of

South Wales in the early 1950s chart the rise of a British corporate culture and bring into sharp

relief the relationship between wealth and poverty. Equally Sergio Larrain’s take on London in the

1950s is a spontaneous response to a city that was undergoing dramatic change in the post-War

era and is marked by unusual vantage points and blurred images that capture the dynamism of the

city. The Dutch photographer Cas Oorthuys captured the mid-century street and social landscape in

Cambridge, London and Oxford with all its quirks and idiosyncrasies: commuters queuing at bus

stops, bowler-hatted city workers and London markets.

…/…

Evelyn Hofer’s humourous and tender portraits from 1962 document the tradespeople of London: a

butcher at Smithfield Market; taxi drivers congregating at a kiosk; a lollipop lady and waiters at the

Garrick Club. Bruce Davidson’s work in England and Scotland from 1960 reveals the stark contrasts

between city and country life, of the landed gentry and the common people as he focussed his

camera on bankers, cleaners, bombed-out buildings, public transport and youths in Soho. Also

included are little known black and white prints by the influential American photographer Garry

Winogrand, who travelled through the UK in 1968 bringing his inimitable visual language to the

streets of Britain shown alongside images by Candida Höfer who in 1968 went in search of the

Liverpool Scene.

In 1968, the Japanese photojournalist Akihiko Okamura moved to Dublin to cover the conflict in

Northern Ireland. His lyrical and poignant colour work depicts the everyday experience of army

barricades, road blocks, demonstrations, and bombed out streets, but are characterised by their

refusal to dramatise the Troubles. Starting in 1972, Gilles Peress travelled to Northern Ireland

nearly every year for two decades to document the ongoing conflict. For Strange and Familiar, Peress presents a new installation of 51 black and white prints from his series The Prods, a

compelling narrative of ordinary life played out against a backdrop of Orange Parades, cricket

matches, church services, funerals and lovers embracing by a stream.

In 1977, Shinro Ohtake spent a year in London exploring the city and its inhabitants. On show in the

UK for the first time, his surreal and poetic photographs serve as a visual diary and present a city

mired in economic hardship. Raymond Depardon’s photographs of Glasgow capture the bleakest

of urban landscapes in and around the areas of Govan and Maryhill during a period of industrial

decline.

Portraiture is central to the work of both Tina Barney and Rineke Dijkstra. Whilst Dijkstra focuses

her camera on teenage girls in a Liverpool nightclub, highlighting their vulnerability and naivety;

Barney’s sumptuous colour portraits of the British upper classes provide a window into a world that

appears both melancholic and endearing. On the other end of the spectrum, Bruce Gilden’s up

close and personal portraits of the working class in the Black Country (2014) and Middlesex (2011)

are cropped so tightly that the viewer is confronted with their warts, pimples and blemishes taken

under the harsh light of the flash. Hans Eijkelboom’s vast collection of images of street shoppers

surreptitiously snapped at The Bullring in Birmingham are organised into a complex grid structure

according to formal similarities: clothing, gestures and accessories that question the construction of

identity and self-representation in today’s globalised culture.

Described as a ‘chronicler of our age’, Martin Parr has been a critical figure in British photography

for the last three decades. Renowned for his oblique approach to social documentary, his colour

photographs touch on themes of leisure, consumption and communication all infused with humour

and wit. He has published over 80 books of his own work including Bad Weather (1982), The Last Resort (1986), Signs of the Times (1992), Home and Abroad (1993), Think of England (2000), Life’s a Beach (2012) and most recently Black Country Stories (2014). His contribution to photographic

culture both nationally and internationally was acknowledged through his appointment as President

of Magnum Photos and he has curated a number of critical exhibitions including Rencontres d’Arles

(2004), New York Photo Festival (2008) and Brighton Photo Biennial (2010). He has enjoyed

countless solo exhibitions, including a major retrospective organised by Barbican Art Gallery (2002)

that toured extensively. Since 2013, Martin Parr has been the City of London’s photographer-in-

residence, and his work culminates in a new exhibition coinciding with Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by International Photographers, Unseen City: Photos by Martin Parr at the Guildhall

Art Gallery from 4 March until 31 July 2016.

ENDS

…/…

Notes to Editors

Press Information For further information, images or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Ann Berni, Media Relations Manager

+44 (0) 207 382 7169, [email protected]

Ariane Oiticica, Media Relations Officer

+44 (0) 207 382 6162, [email protected]

Barbican Newsroom All Barbican Centre press releases, news announcements and the Media Relations team’s contact

details are listed on our website at www.barbican.org.uk/news

Full press pack available online from the Barbican Newsroom: Links to all documents can be found in the ‘Downloads’ box on the top right-hand side of the page

from www.barbican.org.uk/StrangeAndFamiliarNews

Public Information Barbican Art Gallery, London, 0845 120 7550, www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery

Opening hours: Saturday to Wednesday, 10am – 6pm

Thursday & Friday, 10am – 9pm, Bank Holidays: 12noon – 6pm

Tickets Standard: £12.00 / Concessions: £10 / Students/14-17: £8 / Young Barbican: £5

Art Fund Members: £8 / Membership Plus: Unlimited free entry + guest /

Membership: Unlimited free entry

Creative Learning Events Coinciding with the exhibition, the Barbican’s Creative Learning team are developing a programme

of public events focusing on explorations and perceptions of identity. Free School Tours for Strange and Familiar are also offered, with reduced prices for group bookings as well as free tours of the

show with a tour guide. A rich programme of talks and events also accompanies the exhibition.

Check the website for the full programme to be announced shortly:

www.barbican.org.uk/StrangeAndFamiliarEvents

Catalogue The exhibition is accompanied with a fully-illustrated catalogue published by Prestel with a preface

by Martin Parr and an essay by writer and curator Prof David Chandler, as well as texts on all 23

photographers in the show and information on the 50-plus photobooks. Price: £35. ISBN: 978-3-

7913-8232-6

Barbican Art Gallery Shop In addition to the official exhibition catalogue the Gallery Shop also feature a wide selection of the

featured photographers’ books and other related titles plus prints, stationery, postcards,

photographic gifts and more. The best of the Barbican Shop ranges can be found online at

www.barbican.org.uk/shop

Tour The exhibition will tour to Manchester Art Gallery, 25 November 2016 – 29 May 2017

Guildhall Art Gallery 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. Parr has been the City of London's photographer-

in-residence since 2013.

…/…

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Over the 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.

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. Admission £5 (£4 concessions available).

A reduced price joint ticket is available for visitors to see both Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by International Photographers at Barbican Art Gallery and Unseen City: Photos by Martin Parr at Guildhall Art Gallery at £13. For more details visit the website.

Barbican Art Gallery One of the leading art spaces in the UK, Barbican Art Gallery presents the best of international

visual art with a dynamic mix of art, architecture, design, fashion and photography. From

acclaimed architects to Turner prize-winning artists, the Gallery exhibits innovators of the 20th and

21st centuries: key players who have shaped developments and stimulated change.

About the Barbican A world-class arts and learning organisation, the Barbican pushes the boundaries of all major art

forms including dance, film, music, theatre and visual arts. Its creative learning programme further

underpins everything it does. Over 1.8 million people pass through the Barbican’s doors annually,

hundreds of artists and performers are featured and more than 300 staff work onsite. The

architecturally renowned centre opened in 1982 and comprises Barbican Art Gallery, a second

gallery The Curve, the Barbican Hall, the Barbican Theatre, The Pit, Cinemas One, Two and Three,

foyers and public spaces, a library, Lakeside Terrace, a glasshouse conservatory, conference

facilities and three restaurants. The City of London Corporation is the founder and principal funder

of the Barbican Centre.

The Barbican is home to Resident Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra; Associate

Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra; Associate Ensembles the Academy of Ancient

Music and Britten Sinfonia, and Associate Producer Serious. Our Artistic Associates include Boy

Blue Entertainment, Cheek by Jowl, Deborah Warner and Michael Clark Company. International

Associates are Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, New York Philharmonic, Los

Angeles Philharmonic, Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

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Installation press image form

Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by International Photographers Curated by Martin Parr

The Barbican Art Gallery

16 February – 19 June 2016

Media View, 15 March, 10am – 1pm

Please download the images from Dropbox following this link: http://tinyurl.com/Strange-Install

Podcast available from here: http://www.barbican.org.uk/strangeaudio/

1. Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by

International Photographers

Curated by Martin Parr

L-R: Tina Barney, Frank Habicht, Raymond Depardon,

Bruce Gilden, Martin Parr, Jim Dow, Hans Eijkelboom

Barbican Art Gallery, London


© Tristan Fewings/ Getty Images


International Photographers Curated by Martin Parr

Installation View






Installation View





International Photographers

Curated by Martin Parr

L-R: Tina Barney, Frank Habicht, Barbican Exhibition

Curator Alona Pardo, Raymond Depardon, Bruce

Gilden, Martin Parr, Jim Dow, Barbican Head of

Visual Arts Jane Alison, Hans Eijkelboom



© Tristan Fewings/Getty Images

http://tinyurl.com/Strange-Install

http://www.barbican.org.uk/strangeaudio/



Installation View






Installation View






Installation View






Installation View






Installation View






Installation View






Installation View






Installation View






Installation View






Installation View






Installation View






Installation View






Installation View






Installation View




19.Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by


Installation View






Photographer Bruce Gilden with his work






Installation View






Installation View






Installation View






Installation View






Installation View






Photographer Hans Eijkelboom with his work






Photographer Tina Barney with her work






Photographer Jim Dow with his work






Photographer Jim Dow with his work






Photographer Raymond Depardon with his work






Photographer Frank Habicht with his work





International Photographers Curated by Martin Parr (pictured)




IMPORTANT CREDIT AND PICTURE INFORMATION

These images may only be used for publicity purposes in

connection with Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed

by International Photographers, The Barbican Art Gallery

16 February – 19 June 2016.

The images may NOT be cropped, bled off the page,

overprinted with text, or altered in any way and may not be

passed to any third parties without further permission. All

caption information, as given beneath each image, MUST

appear whenever an image is reproduced.

If you have any queries please contact either:


+44 (0) 207 382 7169 [email protected]


+44 (0) 207 382 6162 [email protected]

AFTER USING AN IMAGE/S FOR PUBLICATION

Please email a link or PDF of your article to us

Or send a copy to:

Media Relations - Visual Arts

Barbican Centre

Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS

Thank you for your help with maintaining our records, we

look forward to hearing from you

www.barbican.org.uk

Barbican Newsroom

All Barbican Centre press releases, news announcements

and the Media Relations team’s contact details are listed on

our website at www.barbican.org.uk/news





Pre-installation press image form

Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by International Photographers Curated by Martin Parr

Barbican Art Gallery, Barbican Centre, UK

16 March – 19 June 2016

Please contact the press office for high res copies – details below

1. Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by International Photographers

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Coronation of King George VI, Trafalgar Square, London,

12 May 1937

© Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

2.Strange and Familiar: Britain as revealed by international photographers Tina Barney

The Red Sheath, 2001

© Tina Barney, Courtesy of Paul Kasmin Gallery

3. Strange and Familiar: Britain as revealed by international photographers Candida Höfer

Liverpool IX, 1968

© Candida Höfer, Köln; VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2015

4. Strange and Familiar: Britain as revealed by international photographers Candida Höfer

Liverpool XIX, 1968

© Candida Höfer, Köln; VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2015

5. Strange and Familiar: Britain as revealed by international photographers Akihiko Okamura

Northern Ireland, 1970s

© Akihiko Okamura / Courtesy of the Estate of Akihiko

Okamura, Hakodate, Japan

6. Strange and Familiar: Britain as revealed by international photographers Akihiko Okamura

Northern Ireland, 1970s

© Akihiko Okamura / Courtesy of the Estate of Akihiko

Okamura, Hakodate, Japan

7. Strange and Familiar: Britain as revealed by international photographers Edith Tudor-Hart. Kensal House, London ca. 1938

© Edith Tudor-Hart / National Galleries of Scotland

8. Strange and Familiar: Britain as revealed by international photographers Edith Tudor-Hart. Gee Street, Finsbury, London, ca. 1936

© Edith Tudor-Hart / National Galleries of Scotland

9. Strange and Familiar: Britain as revealed by international photographers

Cas Oorthuys

London, 1953

© Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands Fotomuseum

10. Strange and Familiar: Britain as revealed by international photographers

Cas Oorthuys

London, 1953

© Cas Oorthuys / Nederlands Fotomuseum

11. Strange and Familiar: Britain as revealed by international photographers Hans van der Meer

Mytholmroyd, England, 2004

© Hans van der Meer / Courtesy of the Artist

12. Strange and Familiar: Britain as revealed by international photographers Sergio Larrain

London. Baker Street underground station. 1958-1959.

© Sergio Larrain / Magnum Photos

IMPORTANT CREDIT AND PICTURE INFORMATION

These images may only be used for publicity purposes in

connection with Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by International Photographers, Barbican Art Gallery, 16

March – 19 June 2016.

The images may NOT be cropped, bled off the page,

overprinted with text, or altered in any way and may not

be passed to any third parties without further permission.

All caption information, as given beneath each image,

MUST appear whenever an image is reproduced.

If you have any queries please contact either:


+44 (0) 207 382 7169 [email protected]


+44 (0) 207 382 6162 [email protected]

AFTER USING AN IMAGE/S FOR PUBLICATION

Please email a link or PDF of your article to us

Or send a copy to:

Media Relations - Visual Arts

Barbican Centre

Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS

Thank you for your help with maintaining our records, we

look forward to hearing from you

www.barbican.org.uk

Barbican Newsroom

All Barbican Centre press releases, news announcements

and the Media Relations team’s contact details are listed on

our website at www.barbican.org.uk/news





Documents

Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by International Photographers Curated by Martin Parr