Utterly Lazy and Inattentive: Martin Parr in Words and Pictures

A landmark visual memoir by of one of the world’s most important photographers who straddles the worlds of fine art and popular culture.

Brilliant, understated, enigmatic, transformative . . . as one of the world’s leading documentary photographers, Parr is celebrated for observing, ironizing, questioning, and celebrating modern life and contemporary society, holding a mirror to the public. With a massive following on social media, Parr has legions of celebrity fans ranging from Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele to Elton John, who is such an enthusiast that Parr’s photos were the backdrop for his recent tour.

Unlike previous Parr books that focused on broad sociocultural themes, this volume is a carefully curated selection of Parr’s images designed as a visual memoir. It showcases the depth and range of his work while exploring his life story, practice, and philosophy.

Parr is unique: taken seriously by the art world yet enjoying mass popularity. In his bid to capture the brilliant, bittersweet absurdity of modern life, he has made art photography accessible with compositions of deadpan, mundane images rich in humor and irony.

Martin Parr CBE has published numerous books based on photodocumentary projects and is best known for The Cost of Living, Small World, and Common Sense. The Martin Parr Foundation houses his archive and collection of prints and books. It is a hub for exhibitions, screenings, and events that promote young artists. Wendy Jones is a writer whose work has been reviewed in The New York Times, The New Yorker, London Review of Books, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Observer, The Daily Mail, Vogue, and Elle.