Between the 'pescaíto', tourism, and the street parties: this is the Málaga that won over Martin Parr

He was photographing the unseen Málaga while everyone else was looking the other way. Upon arriving in the city, he received calls from international magazines asking him to cover a historic event in his homeland (and on the entire planet), the death of Queen Elizabeth II. But British photographer Martin Parr turned down all the assignments. He wanted to focus on Málaga. For several days, the Magnum Agency photographer moved between the capital and the municipality of Mijas to capture its life in full color and with the irony that characterized him, a collection of images that now forms part of his legacy. Martin Parr passed away this Friday at the age of 73 in his home in Bristol.

A year after his stay in Málaga, in September 2022, a hundred of his photographs were exhibited at the Málaga Museum under the title 'MálagaEXPRESS', an exhibition produced by the Andalusian Center for Photography and organized by the Andalusian Institute of Plastic Arts and Visuals. Martin Parr captured the leisure, the people, and the food of the place as a travel journal.

But his images are far from what a tourist might take of the city: a beach bar table with the remnants of a feast, skewers of sardines among octopus legs on the coals, a tray of 'locas' (a sweet), flamenco dresses at 8 euros in a souvenir shop, tourists on a terrace with a carefree expression, a man selling snails in front of the Huelin market, a lady showering next to the famous letters of Malagueta beach, and a couple sunbathing surrounded by colorful unicorn and dolphin pedal boats.

Martin Parr arrived in the province during the La Victoria festival. Hence the fairs, flamenco dances, and mantillas, with marvelous snapshots like that of a woman who seems ready for the party with the same expression as the virgin framed behind her on a canvas. Always with irony, focusing on the contrasts and tensions of a modern life dominated by leisure and consumption. A difficult balance between tradition and new customs that provided him with much material in Málaga. "One of the most striking things was seeing the fish in the markets," he admitted on a later visit to Málaga. "Also seeing how they taught children to bullfight in the bullring of La Malagueta," he added.

Related News

Martin Parr, the great photographer of irony and denunciation

He immersed himself in the streets of Málaga, but also among its people. In his portraits, one could recognize actor Salva Reina, artists Javier Calleja and Juanjo Fuentes, avant-garde flamenco dancer La Chachi, veteran singer Fosforito (recently deceased), chef José Carlos García, and even the mayor Francisco de la Torre and the president of the Diputación, Francisco Salado. A photographic 'collage' that will forever link Málaga to the name of one of the most outstanding photographers of his generation.

Martin Parr is one of the most influential and imitated photographers today, a rebellious gaze that revolutionized the concept of documentary photography in the 1980s by changing the black and white image associated until then with serious and rigorous fieldwork, to vibrant and even saturated color to record everyday life. Using flash even in full sunlight to highlight the tones even more. Even in Málaga. "Here the sun shines all year round, the colors are more present, something that is very important for people," he said.