Hong Kong Parr by Martin Parr - book review: A barrage of fashion, food and colour

Parr captures the intensity of urban life in Hong Kong

Untitled, from Hong Kong Parr (Martin Parr/Magnum, courtesy GOST Books)

Hong Kong Parr is a new publication by award-winning photographer Martin Parr to coincide with his first solo exhibition in Hong Kong.

Parr’s photographs of the city, taken in 2013, capture the barrage of fashion, food, and colour in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Known for his satirical and humorous social documentary on modern life, this latest project continues Parr’s examination of consumption, leisure, food culture, and eccentricity.

From mainland Chinese tourists in Hong Kong’s shopping districts, locals at the racecourse and ballroom, to raw food in the wet market, Parr captures the intensity of urban life in Hong Kong. Fishtails, calves heads, and chicken feet vie for the viewer’s attention alongside Louis Vuitton, lovers in matching clothes, and a poignant city graveyard, stacked like the high rise buildings that surround it.

He is the co-author of three volumes of the highly influential The Photobook: A History, and he is currently working on a history of the Chinese photobook, to be published later this year. In all, Parr has published more than 80 books of his own work.