Photography Seoul Museum of Art (Photo SeMA)Chang-dong, Dobong-gu
Martin Parr: We Are Martin Parr
This exhibition has ended.
First major Asian retrospective of Martin Parr, spanning 14 series, 500+ photographs and his images of North and South Korea. With Magnum Photos and the Martin Parr Foundation.
Museum websiteMore in Seoul
In 2004 a bored child sits in a shopping cart in a Seoul discount store, and Martin Parr photographed it. It is one of the Korea pictures he made between 1998 and 2007, alongside Namdaemun Market, Everland and Jeju.
Around it are 504 photographs, one video and 90 photobooks from 14 series, spread over the second and third floors. The Last Resort shows New Brighton's beach in the 1980s, litter included. Common Sense packs more than 270 images of food, shopping and tourism into dense grids. Pyongyang, from a 1997 package tour, has ordinary people posed against the Kim Il-sung statue and the Juche Tower.
Common Sense is your camera roll after one weekend at Everland, only with better colour. Admission is free, Tuesday to Friday it stays open until 20:00, and last entry is an hour before closing. It ends on 18 October, and advance booking is available online.
Editor's pick
Martin Parr's first major retrospective in Asia: more than 500 photographs from 14 series, including his pictures of North and South Korea, made with Magnum Photos and the Martin Parr Foundation.
Look for
The child in the shopping cart
A bored child in a Seoul discount store in 2004, from Parr's South Korea pictures of 1998 to 2007.
The Last Resort
New Brighton's beach in the 1980s, with holidaymakers set against litter and crumbling facilities.
Common Sense grids
More than 270 images of food, tourism, shopping and entertainment from around the world, hung in dense grids.
Pyongyang, 1997
Package-tour pictures of ordinary people posed against the Kim Il-sung statue and the Juche Tower.
Small World
Korean tour groups at the Athens Acropolis and photo-selling stands in Switzerland set against scenic backdrops.
Good for
- Cheap Culture
- Evening Visits
- Nerding Out
On now nearby
Image credits
1
- Dali · Differently · DaliCourtesy of Hangaram Art Museum