Photo London there has been a change of background. After 10 years at Somerset House, the UK’s leading photography fair has moved five miles west to Olympia, a renovated 19th-century exhibition space in Kensington. From now until May 17, visitors can see photographs brought in by galleries from around the world in a new iteration of the fair that puts more emphasis on commerce without sacrificing offerings for non-buyers who just want to look around.
London is, of course, a global city, and so it is no surprise that the largest photography fair in the capital of the United Kingdom is a view of the world. “I always say that we are a representation of London and how diverse and multicultural it is.” Sophie Parkerdirector of Photo London, tells the Observer. The first presentation visitors see is 96 gelatin silver prints from Ahmed Ali— brought by PHOTOINK, New Delhi, exhibiting at the fair for the first time—showing workers on their way to factories. A selection of Latin American and Central and Eastern European galleries is located between the main gallery area and the Discovery Section. Polish underwear by Zofia Rydet are in sight, as are works from David Diaz Gonzalesan indigenous artist from the Shipibo-Konibo ethnic group based in Peru.
The Positions section features works by artists without gallery representation, and the work of two Iranian photographers, in particular, is worth seeking out. Tahmineh Monzaviseries of Iran’s general Mr focuses on young women across Iran, while Shajan Sajadian uses photography to capture the country’s peri-urban and marginalized communities. Equally compelling, Wara Vargas LaraHer work focuses on rituals and changing identities in her native Bolivia, while Hicham Gardaf examines displacement and urbanization in Tangier.
But there is still plenty of Britishness to be found. In the main part are the original prints from David Baileythe iconic photograph of Swinging Sixties London. In the exhibition Master of Photography are Steven MeiselBlown up portraits taken in London in 1993: Bella Freud, Stella Tennant AND Twiggyall captured in glorious monochrome. Part of his icon The Anglo-Saxon Attitude series, here the streets of Notting Hill and Spitalfields serve as subtle but instantly recognizable backdrops to anyone familiar with London geography. Contemporary London, meanwhile, can be seen in Miss Harrimanblack and white portraits of the protests that have taken place over the past few years. Capturing banners and activists campaigning for Gaza, BLM and LGBTQ+ rights, Harriman’s is the most overtly political work at the fair.
As well as expanding geographically, Photo London aims to expand the conceptual definition of what a photograph is. There are some AI images here and there, though not as much as inside Photo of Paris and its dedicated digital section. Notably, Photo London eschews any fixed or conservative definition of what a photograph is, and several galleries have brought works that combine photography with other media. “I think our role at Photo London is to show that the spectrum of photography is wide,” says Parker. “We want people to understand that photography is not necessarily a two-dimensional image on a wall. It can be sculpture, it can include sound, it can be textile work.”
This porous interpretation is evident in We Are Those We Have Been Waiting for, a collection of work by female and non-binary artists curated by Volume Vora of Autograph Gallery, which says its approach to curation involved presenting “a very different idea of what the canon of photography is and what it might look like.” A portrait made of metal from Sacha Hubera hand-colored image by Ingrid Pollard and an AI-generated family photo from Sabrina Tirvengadum all spaces are provided. “What I really wanted to do with this collection exhibition was show the breadth, the expansive nature of what photography can be.”
For the fair’s first decade, wandering around Photo London was like stumbling through a neoclassical maze – it always seemed like there was another room missing. In Olympia, the fair is much easier to navigate; the layout is similar to that of Paris Photo, although admittedly the Olympia development cannot compete with the grandeur of the Grand Palais. The updated layout helps position Photo London as less of a festival and more of a traditional art fair, Parker explains. “We need to make sure we are presenting the best environment for our exhibitors to succeed commercially.”
That said, there’s plenty to take in, whether or not you visit Photo London with checkbook in hand. A new moving image section is showing films throughout the fair, which runs until May 17. Highlights include a new documentary from Krissy Shook, Your eyes and love in grain and shadowfor her mother’s life, Melissa Shookplus Sarah Moonhis movie There’s something about Lillianaround Lillian Bassman. The new Olympia venue allows fair organizers to expand the Publishers section, where those not in the market to spend several thousand pounds on prints can spend more modest sums on picture books.
The talks, tours and screenings are all geared towards engaging the non-buying public, and as Parker is keen to point out, the fair offers opportunities “for people who love photography to get a sense of what global photography looks like at the moment”. Traversing Photo London—the new place makes it much easier to go back—one encounters old favorites (Bailey, Meyerowitz, Evelyn Atwood), new works by well-known names (Burtynsky), plus hundreds of works by unknown names from around the world. Even more than in previous years, Photo London should be an essential stop on any photography lover’s calendar.
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