Customer Reviews

Martin Parr: Mexico

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"Nothing we haven't seen before." A quote from Rogelio Villarreal from the book's forward sums it up, as Parr's style is not new to anyone, and this book does not stray from his past iconic work that he is already well known for. The photos are very similar to past photo works like British Food, Think of England, and Common Sense, all done with a Mexican twist. Like his past works, there aren't many dull photos, as all offer very interesting close-ups and juxtapositions, making even the most trivial of everyday items and people seem camera worthy. There were one or two shots that didn't make me feel they went hand in hand with Mexico at all, such as a close-up of a car windshield with two Nike logo window shades inside, and the disgusting shots of packaged animal feet that could have been sold in any country, but overall, the Mexican theme is quite prevalent, adding many instant classic shots to Parr's ever increasing back catalog.

One of my favorites is the shot of two female tourists, one taking a picture of the other in front of some beach ruins, and the girl taking the photo with her back to Martin's camera is wearing a shirt with a print of a beach scene on it, on top of holding a handbag with an extremely colorful floral print. It's a typical Parr shot, explosive in rich colors. Another highlight is the shot of religious statues being sold streetside, with a McDonald's in the background.

It's another fine addition to the Parr book library, and expect lots of your typical Parr shots.

Martin Parr's Mexico pairs photos by Parr with an essay by Rogelio Villarreal as it blends social documentary with a photographic survey considering the impact of America's pop culture on Mexican life. Full-page color photos - some quite startling - capture Mexican pop art from food to faces to graveyards and provide a stunning visual impact perfect for not only college-level art libraries, but any collection strong in Mexican culture.

As globalization moves at a rapid rate and internet culture spreads, there is a world wide cross-pollination of popular icons, styles of clothing and foods. The thing one culture uses to define itself is being translated and repackaged by other cultures. "Democratic design" from Sweden fills homes on every continent, while Bruce Springsteen spreads the American dream to teens in Europe. Mexico by Martin Parr is a collection of photographs that attempts to examine the meaning of the culture and identity of Mexico in a time of global culture.

Parr has carefully constructed images of new hybrids in Mexican life and culture. He demonstrates this by photographing everything from a day of the dead celebration with Sponge Bob Square Pants decorations to a cluster of Virgin of Guadalupe and Caucasian Jesus memorabilia positioned in front of a McDonald's. Sugar skulls covered in bees, windshield sun shades adorned with the Nike "swoosh" and defective mannequins challenge the viewer to decide if this truly is Mexico, or if Parr has over simplified an extremely rich and diverse culture.

Have corporations and pop culture taken over our individual cultural experiences, or are the selection of images in this book just a small piece of a larger whole? This is an especially fascinating question as images of President elect Barack Obama's global support have begun to surface. From Kenya to Japan to Iran, President Obama has become not only the leader of the United States, but a leader the entire globe is looking to for inspiration. Personally it is hard for me to believe that Parr's Mexico is the end all of Mexican culture, nor will it ever be. Instead, it is a representation of the fluidity of culture and identity in the 21st century.