Martin Parr

Artist lecture Wednesday, March 13, 2013 7PM
imken Lecture Hall, California College of the Arts, San Francisco
New Brighton from The Last Resort, 1983-85

British photographer Martin Parr is a true master of social commentary, capturing humanity in all of its follies. He frames the revealing moments – often highlighting cultural peculiarities – with quirky precision and presents them in ultra-vivid color. Growing up in the English suburbs of the early 1960s, Parr’s passion for collecting and his grandfather’s enthusiasm for photography laid the groundwork for his career as a documentary photographer; he went on to study photography at Manchester Polytechnic from 1970 to 1973. In recent years, he has developed an interest in filmmaking and has started to use his photography in different contexts such as fashion and advertising.

In 1994, he became a member of Magnum Photos after much debate over his provocative photographic style. The Barbican Art Gallery and National Media Museum initiated a large retrospective of Parr’s work in 2002; the exhibition toured Europe for the next five years.

Parr has published a multitude of artist’s books including Life’s a Beach (2012), Mexico (2006), Common Sense (2002), Small World (1995), The Cost of Living (1989) and Last Resort (1986). Additionally, he is an expert in the subject of photo books, collaborating on a series of volumes tracing the major trends and movements since the genre’s birth.

In 2004, Parr was appointed a professor of photography at the University of Wales Newport campus. He served as a guest artistic director for Rencontres D’Arles in 2008 and curated the Brighton Photo Biennial in 2010.


Larry Sultan Visiting Artist Program

Pier 24 Photography is pleased to present the Larry Sultan Visiting Artist Program in collaboration with California College of the Arts and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Each year, the Larry Sultan Visiting Artist Program brings six photographers, writers, and curators to San Francisco to offer free and open lectures, and to work one-on-one with students at California College of the Arts.


Larry Sultan Photography Award


Jonathan Calm, Double Vision (Recording I), 2018

Jonathan Calm

Fall 2019 Residency
Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA

Click HERE for more information on the Larry Sultan Photography Award

Jonathan Calm is a visual artist who works in photography, video, installation, and performance. A central theme of his work is the relationship between photography and urban architecture, and the powerful role of images in the way architectural constructs shape the lives of individuals and communities.

In his most recent work, Calm explores the complex representation of African-American automobility from a historical and contemporary perspective, focusing and drawing on the importance and resonance of the Negro Motorist Green Book. Of this project, he explains, “the image of the infinite highway and the unbridled freedom to roam the land has always been considered a quintessential expression of the modern American spirit, but the black American experience of travel, which involves heightened subjectivity and exposure, has to this day proven a precarious privilege rather than an inalienable right.”

Calm’s art practice is international in scope and has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including Frequency at the Studio Museum in Harlem (2005); Role Play at the Tate Britain (2006); Black Is, Black Ain’t at the University of Chicago’s Renaissance Society (2008); Streetwise at the Reina Sophia Museum in Madrid (2008) and the Chelsea Art Museum (2011); deCordova Biennial at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum (2013); and Rooted Movements at LMAKprojects in New York City (2014). Calm currently lives in Palo Alto, CA where he is a faculty member in the Department of Art and Art History at Stanford University.