The image of London in the background has changed. After 10 years at Somerset House, the UK’s leading photography gallery has moved five miles west to Olympia, a renovated 19th-century exhibition space in Kensington. From now until May 17, visitors can view images brought by art galleries from around the world in a new version of the fair that focuses more on trade without sacrificing offerings for non-buyers who simply want to look around.
London is of course a cosmopolitan city, so it’s no surprise that the UK capital’s largest photo gallery is a snapshot of the world. “I always say we represent London and how diverse and multicultural it is,” Sophie Parker, director of Photo London, tells the Observer. The first display visitors see are 96 silver gelatin prints by Ahmed Ali – brought by PHOTOINK, New Delhi, and shown at the gallery for the first time – showing workers on their way to factories. A selection of galleries in Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe are located between the main exhibition area and the Exploration Department. Polish interiors by Zofia Rydet are on display, as are the works of David Díaz Gonzales, an indigenous artist from the Shipibo-Konibo ethnic group based in Peru.
The Careers section showcases the work of artists who are not represented in the gallery, and the works of two Iranian photographers, in particular, are worth seeking out. Tahmina Munzavi series Iran General Z The film focuses on young women across Iran, while Shayan Sajjadian uses photography to depict the country’s marginalized and urban communities. Equally compelling, Wara Vargas Lara’s work focuses on rituals and shifting identities in her native Bolivia, while Hicham Jardave examines displacement and urbanization in Tangier.
But there is still plenty of Britishness to be found. In the main section are original prints from David Bailey, the famous photographer of the Swinging Sixties London. In the Master of Photography gallery are Steven Meisel’s blown-up portraits taken in London in 1993: Bella Freud, Stella Tennant and Twiggy, all captured in glorious monochrome. Part of his icon Anglo-Saxon position series, here the streets of Notting Hill and Spitalfields serve as subtle but instantly recognizable backdrops to anyone familiar with London’s geography. Meanwhile, contemporary London can be seen in Misan Harriman’s black-and-white photographs (brought by Hope93 Gallery) of the protests that have taken place over the past few years. By capturing signs and activists fighting for Gaza rights, Black Lives Matter, and LGBT rights, Harriman is the most overtly political work in the exhibition.
In addition to expanding geographically, Photo London aims to expand the conceptual definition of what a photograph is. There are a few AI images here and there, although nowhere near the number found in Paris Photo and its dedicated digital section. It is worth noting that Photo London avoids any fixed or conservative definition of what a photograph is, and many exhibitions have brought in works that combine photography and other media. “I feel like our role at Photo London is to show that the scope of photography is broad,” says Parker. “We want people to realize that photography is not necessarily a two-dimensional picture on a wall. It can be sculpture, it can include sound, or it can be a work of textiles.”
This porous interpretation is evident in “We Are the One We’ve Been Waiting For,” a collection of works by female and non-binary artists curated by Bindi Vora of Autograph Gallery, whose curatorial approach she says involves presenting “a completely different idea of what photography is and what it can look like.” Space is made for a metal portrait of Sasha Hopper, a hand-coloured portrait of Ingrid Pollard, and an AI-generated family portrait of Sabrina Tervingadum. “What I really wanted to do by showing this collection was to show the breadth and expansive nature of what photography can be.”
During the gallery’s first decade, wandering around Photo London was like stumbling into a neoclassical maze, always feeling as if there was another room missing. In Olympia, the gallery is much easier to navigate; The design is similar to that of Paris Photo, although the Olympia development cannot compete with the grandeur of the Grand Palais. Parker explains that the updated design helps make Photo London less of a festival and more of a traditional art fair. “We have to make sure we provide the best environment for our exhibitors to achieve commercial success.”
However, there’s plenty to enjoy, whether or not you visit Photo London with a checkbook in hand. A new moving image section displays films throughout the exhibition, which runs until May 17. Highlights include a new documentary by Chrissy Schock, Your eyes and your love in grain and shadowabout the life of her mother, Melissa Schock, in addition to the film Sarah Moon, There’s something about Lillianby Lillian Basman. The new Olympia venue allows exhibition organizers to expand their publishers section, where those who are not in the market to spend a few thousand pounds on prints can spend more modest sums on photo books.
The talks, tours and performances are all aimed at engaging the non-buying public, and as Parker is keen to point out, the exhibition provides opportunities for “people who love photography to get an impression of what global photography looks like today”. Traversing Photo London The new venue makes getting around much easier – as one encounters old favorites (Bailey, Meyerowitz, Evelyn Atwood), new works with familiar names (Burtynsky), as well as hundreds of works with unfamiliar names from around the world. Even more so than in previous years, Photo London should be an essential stop on any photography lover’s calendar.
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