Dark Tales explores the complex relationship between the Gothic and British documentary photography. The images span a period of more than 80 years that depict Britain from the post-war to the present day. The photographs in the exhibition are on display at Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol, UK from 17 September to 20 December, 2026.
Dark Tales and The Gothic brings together a selection of celebrated images alongside some lesser-known photographs. They reveal waning industrial powers, claustrophobic domestic scenes, and menacing nocturnal activities. Work from Kjell-Åke Andersson, Bill Brandt, Anna Fox, Robert Frank, Don McCullin, Lee Miller and others are all part of this exhibition.
They were primarily selected from over 5000 prints in the Martin Parr Foundation collection by curator Isaac Blease. The emerging, playful narrative shows a resilient yet haunted place. It illustrates photography’s role in visualising emotions such as fear and fascination, while amplifying the Gothic principle that horror thrives in proximity to the familiar.
The darkness of troubled times
Isaac Blease explains “From its inception, photography has been a medium used to record the troubled, political, moral and social issues that have unsettled the modern world: a certain darkness creeps throughout its histories. As Gothic authors of the 18th and 19th centuries conveyed anxieties through dark tales in fiction, photographers have reflected the darkness of their times through images of the real world; creating artworks that invoke within us a similar sense of terror and wonder at the tangible and psychological realities depicted.”
Interest in the Gothic resurfaces during times of uncertainty, and documentary photography itself is in a dark moment, with its purpose and role in question, public distrust of ‘photographers’, and the existential threat posed by Artificial Intelligence. The exhibition is divided into four chapters of dark tales: The Castle, Domestic Bliss, Double Take, and Night Creatures.
“This moment of turmoil presents intriguing conditions to explore the Gothic imagination as a relevant lens through which to re-examine the medium, while also revelling in the ambiguity of images and the multitude of meanings they evoke.”
Isaac Blease, Curator
Challenging the idea of “documentary”
“Documentary” is a less than perfect term, but it is a pillar for a shared understanding. Some artists in the exhibition firmly work within this tradition, whereas others actively challenge and contest the norms of documentary photography. One of the main points of this exhibition has been to lead with a visual search in creating an atmosphere, regardless of different standpoints.’ — Isaac Blease, Curator.
Darkroom by Michel Campeau
To accompany Dark Tales: British Documentary Photography and the Gothic, Martin Parr Foundation is partnering with the nearby Arnos Vale Cemetery to present Darkroom by Michel Campeau in their Anglican Chapel Crypt, also on display 17 Sept–20 Dec. In this work, Campeau’s large-scale photographs reflect on the mortality of the photographic medium through his intimate depictions of analogue darkrooms, located just 8 minutes walk from Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol.
Dark Tales will be hosted by Martin Parr Foundation, 316 Paintworks, Arnos Vale, Bristol, BS4 3AR, UK, from 17 September to 20 December, 2026. Opening hours Thursday to Sunday, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
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One dictionary defines the gothic as a “literary aesthetic of fear and haunting”. That wouldn’t be Margaret Thatcher in the photo of the garden party?
Regardless: an interesting sampling of photos expanding on the theme!