Seoul · South Korea
Martin Parr's Candid Gaze: A Comprehensive Retrospective Opens in Seoul
We Are Martin Parr surveys four decades of the late photographer's unflinching documentation of contemporary life
An Uncomfortable Closeness to the Everyday
The Photography Seoul Museum of Art has organised a significant survey of Martin Parr's work, marking the first major retrospective in Asia since the photographer's death last year. Working in partnership with Magnum Photos and the Martin Parr Foundation, the exhibition brings together fourteen substantial series alongside hundreds of individual images and a carefully selected collection of his photobooks.
Parr spent over four decades training his lens on ordinary moments—people eating, shopping, holidaying, and simply being. His photographs, characterised by saturated colours and tightly cropped compositions, reveal the strange rituals of contemporary existence with a mixture of humour and precision that has become instantly recognisable.
Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) Seosomun Main Building
The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) Seosomun Main Building is a public municipal art museum located in Jung-gu, Seoul, housed in the preserved facade of the former Supreme Court building designated as Registered Cultural Heritage No. 237. As part of a network of specialized branches, this main venue focuses on collecting and researching Korean modern and contemporary art, maintaining a collection of over 6,500 works. It operates with free general admission and offers extensive educational programs, an art library, and exhibition spaces that host major retrospectives and thematic shows.
Beyond Satire, Towards Recognition
Rather than positioning Parr simply as a chronicler of consumer excess or social awkwardness, this exhibition emphasises his consistent method of looking. The photographs draw viewers into uncomfortable proximity with their subjects, forcing a reconsideration of scenes typically ignored or dismissed. These are not caricatures of others, but reflections of ourselves as image-makers and consumers of experience.
The show includes material from his visits to the Korean peninsula between the late 1990s and early 2000s, offering a particular perspective on daily life in both North and South Korea through his characteristic directness.
The Weight of Accumulation
With over 500 photographs on display and ninety photobooks represented, the exhibition demonstrates the scale of Parr's project. From his early experiments with documentary approaches to his later explorations of global tourism and leisure activities, the work accumulates into a comprehensive portrait of how we present ourselves to the world.
Curated by Hyunjung Son with support from Minhoon Lee and Yubin Song, the retrospective runs from July 16 through October 18, 2026, providing audiences in Seoul extended opportunity to engage with one of contemporary photography's most distinctive voices.
Galleries mentioned
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