Martin Parr does not hesitate to describe Tom Wood as “an unknown genius of British photography”. Born in Ireland, Wood lived for a long time in Liverpool, where he “photographed life”. He is a photographer of people: strangers, friends, family; these people of all ages whose image he captures individually, in pairs or in small groups, by posing them or not. With Parr and Chris Killip, he contributed to the development of social photography in England in the wake of the punk revolt and the Thatcher years. The British editions Stanley / Barker publish today Women’s Market, the new work of the photographer. From 1978 to 1999, Wood spends his Saturday mornings at the market of Great Homer Street, far enough away from the center of Liverpool, in the north of England, to have his own identity, unique and more relaxed. Accompanied by his Leica and out-of-date films, Wood makes lively pictures of barges on the market, looking for a good deal, with friends or family. “I discovered the Great Homer Street market in 1975, thanks to a friend whose family lived in Dingle (Liverpool),” says Tom Wood. At that time, I purchased two Worsted three-piece suits with crossed jackets, and a striped three-buttoned suit with lapels, for a total of four books. I thought, “What a great market!” It was a big market, spreading on both sides of the street, but when I started shooting there, the used clothes part had practically disappeared. Yet the market was always crowded with the same mothers and daughters who had been “Greatie” for generations. Whether in black and white or in color, Tom Wood’s photographs, authentic and full of spontaneity, transform simple moments of life into moments of poetry in which the beauty of human nature shines through. The 104-page book, with a particularly original and neat design (by Tamara Shopsin and The Entente), is now available on the online store of Stanley / Barker Editions. Tom Wood will be present at the Jeu de Paume (1 Place de la Concorde, 75008 Paris) on Saturday, November 10, 2018, for a signing session organized by Stanley / Barker.
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