LUSKACOVA, Marketa - By the Sea. Photographs from the North East 1976-1981

"The photobook 'By the Sea. Photographs from the North East 1976-1981' presents a series of photographs made by Czech photographer Markéta LUSKACOVA taken in the late 1970s on the North East Coast of Britain.
The book is produced to coincide with an exhibition of the same name at the Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol.

Czech-born Marketa LUSKACOVA has lived in the UK since 1975 and first went to North East England in 1976 when visiting photographer Chris KILLIP, who at that time lived there. She fell in love with Whitley Bay, and with the people there who, in spite of the harsh weather, enjoyed their time at the seaside. When Amber, a film and photography collective, invited her in 1978 to photograph the North East of England alongside Martine FRANCK, Henri CARTIER-BRESSON and Paul CAPONIGRO, she was drawn back to photograph the seaside.

'I was very touched by it all: the families with children, old women in their best hats, elderly couples with grandchildren, teenagers courting shyly or boisterously, the ponies and donkeys walking patiently to and fro on the beach. The dogs and children were everywhere, dogs enjoying themselves as much as the children did. The fairground and the omnipresent tents, fortresses against the wind and rain, the seaside cafes selling sandwiches, apple pies, custard pies, ice creams and teas, of course. But they also sold boiling water to women who brought with them from their homes their teapots and teabags, because to buy tea for the whole family would be too expensive.' (© Marketa LUSKACOVA)

(...) Although well known in photographic circles, Marketa LUSKACOVA’s work in recent years has lacked the exposure of some of her contemporaries. The exhibition and the new book aim to contribute to a recent resurgence of interest in Luskačová’s work and to introduce it to new audiences." (publisher's note, © RBB, 2019)

“This long-forgotten body of work, depicting the North East beaches, fits perfectly into the remit of the Martin Parr Foundation - to revive important bodies of work. LUSKACOVA's images of the beach and associated life, show the sense of community that this area is rightly noted for, with the family scenes at its heart.” (© Martin PARR)

"Although she nominally works in series, the nature of Marketa LUSKACOVA’s concerns prevents a systematic production. Pictures are created when an event coincides with the photographers internal and external readiness. LUSKACOVA neither autobiographer nor voyeur, but there must be an integration of her subjects with her life" (© Tom Evans)

About the photographer, Marketa LUSKACOVA:
Born in Prague. Degree in sociology of culture at Charles University, Prague 1967, theses on traditional form of religion in Slovakia accompanied with photogrphs of pilgrims.
1967 - 1969 studied photography FAMU, Prague.
Since 1968 freelance photographer.
Her work is held worldwide in numerous collections including the V&A, Tate Britain, National Portrait Gallery, and the National Media Museum in the UK, and internationally MoMA, New York; MoMA, San Francisco; J.Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam and Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris amongst others.