Martin Parr's revealing photographs of 'Hidden Oxford' capture the quirks of university life

Commissioned by the Bodleian Libraries and Oxford University Press, Parr's photographs capture the quirks of university life (both at work and at play) – things that are rarely accessible to the outsider.

Looking behind the scenes at Oxford rituals, ceremonies, and traditions that still hold significance today, Parr shows students' antics at sporting events, clubs, and societies, as well as the core university activities of research and teaching.

We see college rowers throwing each other into a river following a competition. We get a glimpse of the Queerfest at Wadham College, Oxford's largest student celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual culture. There's a shot of students having a tutorial at the Ruskin School of Art. And we see Chancellor Lord Patten of Barnes with his page, Giles Wordsworth.

You can view the series at Martin Parr: Oxford, a new exhibition at Hong Kong's f22 foto space gallery from 6 December 2019 until 15 February 2020. With a selection of 59 photographs, the show allows us to experience university life in one of the world's oldest and most storied universities.