Photobooks of 2023: Martin Parr

Here is my list of favourite photobooks.

From the Heads of the Hollers by Shelby Adams, GOST

This long term project finally gets the book it deserves. Terrific production and printing and the trust and intimacy of his portraits are very clear to read.


Monument by Trent Parke, Stanley/Barker

Although shot many years ago, this beautiful book takes us on a journey of sunlit Sydney that Parke has explored, with stunning results.


Coming and Going by Jim Goldberg, Mack

This book takes us through Goldberg's own personal history of various relationships, using a combination of montage, images and writing. A beautiful confessional.


La Isla Otra by Leah Fresneda & Pablo Varela, University of Cadiz

Books on Cuba are very common and they all indulge in the nostalgia of old American cars and shabby buildings. This is different, and very well observed scenes of street corners and isolated people. Pale blue also emerges as a theme.


England: The Last Hurrah by Dafydd Jones, ACC Art Books

Dafydd was at the heart of the social scene at Oxbridge and shows an indulgent and drunken crowd in the 80's. He appears to be entirely unnoticed and it is a great documentation of a wreckless age.

Martin Parr’s unmistakable eye for the quirks of ordinary life has made him a distinctive voice in visual culture for more than 30 years. He has published over 100 books of his own work and edited another 30. His work has appeared in solo and group exhibitions around the world. In Autumn 2017 the Martin Parr Foundation opened in Bristol.

Images:
top: England: The Last Hurrah by Dafydd Jones
below: From the Heads of the Hollers by Shelby Adams