The PhotoBookMuseum on Grand Hotel Parr: BOP 26 ARTIST TALK

Frederic Lezmi from The PhotoBookMuseum in Cologne travels to Bristol for BOP 26 to discuss the museum's recent major project, GRAND HOTEL PARR, the first comprehensive retrospective exhibition of Martin Parr photobooks. GRAND HOTEL PARR was on display at the Neues Museum in Nuremberg, Germany, from 24 OCT 2025 to 22 FEB 2026, with an accompanying GRAND HOTEL PARR photobook published by The PhotoBookMuseum in 2026. The scale of the exhibition was colossal, comprising many completely interactive gallery rooms constructed especially for the show. Visitors would enter through the hotel reception area where they would stroll along the hotel-red carpet, lined with specially designed Martin Parr suitcases. Each room in the hotel was themed around a particular Martin Parr series, including a 'Bar', a 'Billard Room', a 'Dining Room' and a 'Fashion Boutique', as well as a 'Beach Resort' with its 'Seaside View'. GRAND HOTEL PARR also featured an extensive collection of over 250 Martin Parr photobooks arranged around the central space, where visitors could relax in the Reading Room and peruse the books, which also featured a grand piano and a bouquet of flowers. Fred, the PhotoBookMuseum's Creative Director, will talk about the exhibition's creation and development and The PhotoBookMuseum's working processes, as well as their experience making the GRAND HOTEL PARR photobook. This talk will be followed by questions from the floor and a book signing.