by AMIT ROY
THE photographer Martin Parr, whose work is on display at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London, clearly has a thing about Indians, Sikhs especially.
Some of his pictures of British Asian life have been taken since the EU referendum in June 2016, while others are from past years, but the overall theme of the exhibition – Only Human: Martin Parr – is “Britain in the time of Brexit”.
Parr photographed a group of bhangra dancers in the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh in 2017. He also made a 30-second film about them for the BBC on the subject of British “oneness” when he travelled across the UK in search of suitable subjects.
One of his most striking images is that of one Harbhajan Singh, taken in Willenhall Market, Walsall, in 2011. The elderly Sikh, holding a Union flag bag, seems unaware that he has claimed back this symbol of patriotism from the far right.
Another image from 2008 is of Sikhs dancing at City Hall, Cardiff, after a wedding.
Anyone who has been lucky enough to have gone to a Cambridge May Ball will sympathise with the Asian youth from Magdalene College sprawled out on a pile of cushions after what one must assume has been a long night of champagne, music and pretty girls in long gowns. The picture was taken in 2015 but is pretty timeless.
Parr has been a frequent visitor to India and, in fact, one of his many books is called, Martin Parr in India: 1984-2009. In 2014, he took photographic enthusiasts on a tour of Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur and Agra, giving tips on how to take great travel photographs.
“India is as wonderful as it is crazy,” he said at the time. “It is so photogenic, it is almost overwhelming. This opportunity will allow you to see India in a different light, while developing your photographic eye.”
He warned that holidaymakers spend too much time taking clichéd pictures of beaches and sunsets, instead of capturing the scenes that really mean something to them. Parr might well be right when he says that “India is the world leader for selfie taking”.
He spent time on beaches such as Kovalam in Kerala where he caught one Indian doing what else but taking a selfie. Many of his images are of elderly or obese white foreigners against the backdrop of sunburnt, skinny locals.
Parr’s pictures of Indians in the UK are set in the context of life in contemporary Britain. The new and previously unseen photographs in the exhibition reveal his “take on the social climate in the aftermath of the EU referendum”, says the NPG.
The exhibition has images which reflect “Parr’s long term study of the British ‘establishment’, including recent photographs taken at Christ’s Hospital school in Sussex, Oxford and Cambridge universities and the City of London, revealing the obscure rituals and ceremonies of British life”.
The world of toffs is represented in a fetching photograph of David Cameron adjusting his white tie before a formal banquet, while Parr has caught the spirit at Lord’s cricket ground with a fine portrait of James Shaw, an associate member, in MCC blazer, tie, socks and cap.
The NPG’s director, Dr Nicholas Cullinan, said: “Only Human contributes to an ongoing debate about what it means to be British in an international context and reflects on the shared cultural and social history that defines the United Kingdom during a moment of change.”
Parr agreed: “One of the main themes [of the photographs] is British identity … the timing could not be better.”
The exhibition has been curated by Philip Prodger, senior research scholar, Yale Center for British Art, who said: “Provocative, surprising and ultimately uplifting, Martin Parr explores the great issues of our time with sensitivity, compassion and a sense of fun. This is an exhibition that will make you think, and leave you with a smile on your face.”
Only Human: Martin Parr is at the National Portrait Gallery until May 27.
