About The Exhibition
Belfast Exposed is delighted to present this newly commissioned body of work by world renowned photographer, Martin Parr.
Since the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, Northern Ireland has witnessed a dramatic economic resurgence. The tourism industry has flourished, bringing large-scale investment and unprecedented numbers of overseas visitors to the city. In recent years the tourist industry has been predominantly shaped by two key historical events; the legacy of the Titanic, the ill-fated ship that was built in the Belfast docks and the ‘Troubles’, a 40 year period of violent conflict whose resonances can still be keenly felt throughout Northern Ireland.
In 2012, the new Titanic Belfast Centre opened its doors, attracting 800,000 visitors in its first year. This staggering flow of tourists to the city has been propelled by the recent upsurge in cruise liners now docking into Belfast. Many of these boats let loose over 3000 tourists a day and often there are as many as three boats a week. Elsewhere in the city, more grass roots industries have developed with the rise of ‘Troubles Tours’ taking in some of the key locations and political murals from the bloody days of the conflict. Belfast Exposed have commissioned Martin Parr to make a new documentary project on Tourism in Belfast.
The Artists
Martin Parr
Martin Parr is one of the best-known documentary photographers of his generation. With over 90 books of his own published, and another 30 edited by Parr, his photographic legacy is already established.
Parr also acts as a curator and editor. He has curated two photography festivals, Arles in 2004 and Brighton Biennial in 2010. More recently Parr curated the Barbican exhibition, Strange and Familiar. Parr has been a member of the Magnum agency since 1994 and is currently the organisation's president. In 2013 Parr was appointed the visiting Professor of photography at Ulster University. Parr’s work has been collected by many of the major museums, including the Tate, the Pompidou Centre and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Acknowledgements
This exhibition was made possible by the generous support of Arts Council Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council. Belfast Exposed would also like to thank Titanic Belfast and Rayanne House for their assistance in this project.