weathervanes
luxury
with photography i like to create fiction out of reality . i try and do this by taking societys natural prejudice and giving it a twist says british photographer martin parr who is most known for his satirical images of the ostentatiously wealthy . luxury is parrs epitaph to the age of conspicuous consumption with candid images of the fabulously wealthy on the international party circuit champagne fuelled lunches horse races moscows millionaire fair the dubai art fair and the beijing motor show to name a few locales . both biting and affectionate this series which comprises 35 works created between 2003 and 2009 is part of the touring exhibition parrworld . documenting the trends tastes and social mores of the bourgeoisie diamond encrusted jewelry pure breed puppies racecars endless canapes and empty champagne bottles parr succeeds in capturing the cliche laden tedium of excess while making the whole scene seem a little more human . parrs mobile perspective and viewpoint is that of a housefly ; critic neal brown writes characterizing the photographers style as buzzing around peoples heads landing on the edges of their plates and food displays and viewing everything as a fantastically enlarged over colored world upon which to masticate regurgitated vomit and enjoyably shit . exquisitely designed this volume with a padded gilt foiled mock leather cover is the perfect souvenir of the era before the bubble burst . also featured is an introduction by leading fashion designer and martin parr fan paul smith .