Over the past decade, Photo London has established itself as a key moment in the cultural calendar. This May, the fair returns to Somerset House to celebrate this milestone. Visitors have the opportunity to see iconic photographs, witness the scope of talent working today and explore future possibilities of the medium. The featured galleries offer encounters with images that shaped lens-based practice throughout the 20th century. Beyond this, the event wants to expand the definition of what a “photograph” can be. Sophie Parker, Director of Photo London, said: “While we are a photography specific fair, the works exhibited go far beyond images hung on walls. Photography can include sculpture, painting, performance, fabric, moving image, and even sound, and at Photo London we celebrate photography in all its forms.”
Highlights include Camera Work’s display of Irving Penn’s legendary image, Mouth (1986). The photograph was taken as part of a L’Oréal makeup campaign. It shows a closeup of a model’s mouth, smeared with different colours of lipstick, likening her lips to a painter’s palette. Elsewhere, Amar Gallery presents a series from Dora Maar. Her provocative photomontages became celebrated icons of Surrealism, although the artist remains wrongly overlooked and often only recgonised in the context of her relationship with Pablo Picasso. Other exhibitors focus on creatives who are making their mark on contemporary lens-based art. Tania Franco Klein returns to the Fair after receiving the Photo London Emerging Photographer Award in 2018. Elsewhere, Chrystel Lebas produces photograms that reveal the beauty in unwanted weeds; Ira Stehmann Fine Art brings the eerily fantastical images of Christopher Thomas; and Hilton Contemporary showcases Paul Nicklen’s urgent images of marine life and the effects of the climate crisis.
Photo London has a particular focus on new talent, and its annual Discovery section is world renowned as a platform for emerging photographers. In an image-saturated world, where we’re often inundated with content on social media, this is a refreshing opportunity to see something unique. Discovery not only celebrates new talent but also grapples with important questions around what makes an artist “discovered”, and who gets to make those decisions. In an interview with Plaster, curator Charlotte Jansen said: “The idea of discovery [in the West] can be like, ‘Oh, we didn’t know about this, so now we’re discovering it!’, but actually, a lot of these artists have been working for a really long time.” In the display, New Orleans-based Mortal Machine Gallery showcases Bee Gat’s gritty, raw and unfiltered portraits of Miami’s underground world. In one black-and-white image, a bulky ankle tag juxtaposes a woman’s carefully manicured and high-heeled foot. Meanwhile, Contour Gallery highlights artist Margriet Smulders, who creates beautiful, large-scale tableaux with flowers, riffing on Dutch traditions in painting.
This year London, as a concept, takes centre stage. Many artists and photographers have used the city as a muse. The special exhibition features 30 household names including David Bailey, Jamie Hawkesworth, Es Devlin, Joy Gregory and Heather Agyepong. Bailey’s oeuvre is a who’s-who of household names, from Mick Jagger to David Hockney, whilst Hawkesworth’s portraits of ordinary British communities is a tender documentation of modern life. Meanwhile, Joy Gregory’s contribution to Art on the Underground has literally changed the fabric of London’s infrastructure, adorning it with art that reflects its diverse communities. The expansive selection is a testament to the countless creatives who have been inspired by the capital’s streets, people and culture.
Photo London is at Somerset House, London 15 – 18 May 2025: photolondon.org
Image credits:
Ira Stehmann Fine Art Christopher Thomas_Bittersweet 27_2009© Christopher Thomas, courtesy Ira Stehmann Fine Art.
Paul Nicklen, Ephemeral Palace, 2012. Courtesy the artist and Hilton Contemporary.
Plant Portraits or Weeds & Aliens Studies, Sisymbrium irio L.- London Rocket, 100 Yellow 130 Magenta 0 Cyan 40s, Courtesy Chrystel Lebas, April 2017.
Paul Nicklen, Ice Waterfall, 2014. Courtesy the artist and Hilton Contemporary.
