PARLIAMENTS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION  Between 2010 and 2017, Nico Bick photographed the parliaments of the (then) 28 member states of the European Union and the two houses of the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg. Standing on the floor of the plenary chamber — a place not commonly accessible to the public — he made three or four detailed photographs, depending on his chosen position and the size or shape of the room. The resulting triptychs and quadriptychs enable the viewer to carefully examine all the important functions of the room: a seat for each member of parliament, galleries for the press and the public, a section for the representatives of the government and a central place for the chair of the parliament. Through this work, Nico Bick shows that although these parliaments may seem alike, they are certainly not purely functional spaces. Through their architecture, furniture, ornamentation, colour scheme and illumination they each radiate national characteristics of their own. Rather than being a simple comparison, PARLIAMENTS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION is an examination of the similarities and differences between the parliaments and national democratic processes of the states comprising the European Union.

Nationalrat (Austria), Chambre des représentants / Kamer van volksvertegenwoordigers (Belgium), Народно cъбрание (Bulgaria), Hrvatski sabor (Croatia), Βουλή των Αντιπροσώπων (Cyprus), Poslanecká sněmovna (Czech Republic), Folketinget (Denmark), Riigikogu (Estonia), European Parliament, Brussels (European Union), European Parliament, Strasbourg (European Union), Eduskunta (Finland), Assemblée nationale (France), Deutscher Bundestag (Germany), Βουλή των Ελλήνων (Greece), Országgyűlés (Hungary), Dáil Éireann (Ireland), Camera dei deputati (Italy), Saeima (Latvia), Seimas (Lithuania), Chambre des Députés (Luxembourg), Kamra tad-Deputati (Malta), Tweede Kamer der Staten–Generaal (The Netherlands), Sejm (Poland), Assembleia da República (Portugal), Camera Deputaţilor (Romania), Národná rada (Slovakia), Državni zbor (Slovenia), Congreso de los Diputados (Spain), Sveriges Riksdag (Sweden), House of Commons (United Kingdom).

Nederlands Fotomuseum, Rotterdam (NL)  —  7 January / 7 May 2017
Atelier Néerlandais, Paris (FR)  —  21 September / 17 December 2017
Les Rencontres de la Photographie, Arles (FR)  —  1 July / 22 September 2019
Los Angeles Center of Photography, Hollywood (USA)  —  16 September / 16 October 2019
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (NL)  —  3 October 2020 / 1 November 2020

The publication of the PARLIAMENTS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION project features photographs of the plenary chambers in the parliaments of the (then) 28 European Union member states and the two houses of the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg. The images of the 30 plenary chambers in the project are presented in a unique way by double fold-out pages with impressive details.

This monumental publication contains essays by Joris Luyendijk, Ulrike Guérot and Frits Gierstberg, written especially for this book. The book – including an atlas to compare the depicted parliaments through detailed data in diagrams, charts, lists and the project's photography timeline – is designed by Studio Joost Grootens.

Photography Nico Bick | Essay Frits Gierstberg, Ulrike Guérot, Joris Luyendijk
Design SJG / Joost Grootens, Dimitri Jeannottat | Production Ingrid Oosterheerd
Publisher nai010 publishers | Printer NPN Drukkers | Bookbinder Van Mierlo
Hardcover | English | 272 pages, 30 fold-outs, 106 colour photos | 30 x 37½ cm
April 2019 | ISBN 978 94 6208 361 5 | € 69.–    € 49.—  Shipping included!