National Portrait Gallery to serve tea and cake to celebrate Martin Parr exhibition on 'Britishness'

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Robert Dex @RobDexES8 March 2019

There's nothing more British than a cuppa and a generous slice of cake.

So, naturally, the National Portrait Gallery is offering visitors tea at its latest exhibition dedicated to renowned photographer Martin Parr — whose main subject is Britishness.

A pop-up cafe will serve a traditional menu of strong cups of tea, Battenburg cake, chocolate swiss roll, Bakewell pudding and Mini Cheddars. A beer has also been made in Parr’s honour which will be served during late showings on Fridays.

The exhibition called Only Human includes photographs taken in the City of London as part of a series about the British establishment, as well as army camps overseas.

Portraits of celebrities including designers Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith and artists Tracey Emin and Grayson Perry also feature. Parr, who made his name with images of sunburnt holidaymakers in the northwest seaside resort of New Brighton, Merseyside, said he was “excited“ by the show.

He said: “One of the main themes is British identity and given March 2019 is when we are supposedly leaving the European Union, the timing could not be better.”

Other works on show include photographs from sporting events such as Wimbledon and the US Open. A series of handmade Mexican photo sculptures, featuring hand-carved wooden portraits of Parr and set into ornate frames, are also on show. Gallery director Nicholas Cullinan said: “We are delighted to be able to display so many new works by one of Britain’s most widely celebrated photographers.

“Martin Parr’s witty, surprising and ingenious photographs not only reveal the eccentricities of modern life with affection and insight, they also change the way we look at ourselves, and the way we consider our relationship to the wider world. Only Human contributes to an ongoing debate about what it means to be British in an international context and reflects on the shared cultural and social history that defines the United Kingdom during a moment of change.”

To coincide with the exhibition, the gallery is running an Instagram competition asking visitors to take their own portraits about British identity inspired by the show. Winning entries, selected by Parr, will go display at the gallery.

Only Human: Martin Parr is at the National Portrait Gallery from 7 March – 27 May 2019 (npg.org.uk). The accompanying book Only Human by Martin Parr is published by Phaidon (Phaidon.com)​

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