Photographer Arnhel de Serra’s project ‘The County Show’ is an eccentric visual delight and Magnum Photos’ photographer Richard Kalvar thought so too! As part of the Magnum’s Theory and Practice feature, a number of Magnum photographers chose their favourite images and photographers from a number of online portfolios put forward for review. Arnhel describes his project:

“The project, The Country Show, was shot between 2004 and 2014, and captures the invitingly surreal world of country shows up and down the UK. Country shows are meeting points between urban and rural, between spectator and exhibitor. Tradition and commercial entertainment have adapted and grown side by side. Humour and observation are central in my photography, which exposes the peculiarities, rituals and dynamism in human behaviour when we gather together. Laughter comes when we are caught off guard, and this series of images could be said to have a lot in common with the British sitcom or the stand up comedy. As a nation, irony and humour have always played a prominent role in British culture, and I hope that this set of images will be viewed in this tradition with equal affection and irreverence.”

See the full article here 

See more of Arnhel’s work here