Martin Parr’s ‘Life’s a Beach’

GB. England. Kent. Margate. 1986. from Life’s A Beach (Aperture, 2013)

You can read a lot about a country by looking at its beaches: across cultures, the beach is that rare public space in which all absurdities and quirky national behaviors can be found.—Martin Parr

We can’t say enough about British photographer Martin Parr’s new book, Life’s a Beach, published by Aperture this year. Parr’s coastal infatuation started in the 1970s—you may recall his 1986 release of The Last Resort, a capture of the seaside resort of New Brighton, near Liverpool. He has since continued to document beach-goers from all corners of the world—Argentina, Brazil, China, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Japan, the United States, Mexico, Thailand, and of course, the U.K. Compiling 100 sun-soaked images of intriguing and eccentric characters in sand and sea, Life’s a Beach is a true delight.

Italy. Lake Garda. Riva del Garda. 1999. from Life’s A Beach (Aperture, 2013)

GB. England. Mablethorpe. 1992. from Life’s A Beach (Aperture, 2013)

GB. England. Weymouth. 2000. from Life’s A Beach (Aperture, 2013)

Japan. Miyazaki. The Ocean Dome. 1996. from Life’s A Beach (Aperture, 2013)

Belgium. Knokke. 2001. from Life’s A Beach (Aperture, 2013)

Italy. Lake Garda. 1999. from Life’s A Beach (Aperture, 2013)

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