Lee Sharrock picks her favourite exhibits at the 2022 edition of Photo London at Somerset House. In what feels like the largest Photo London display to date, featuring 106 exhibitors from 18 countries taking over all 3 floors of Somerset House as well as the East and West Wing, and a pavilion in the courtyard, photography-lovers can find photographers from every generation, spanning many cultures and genres.
Afikaris (D12)
Parisian gallery Afikaris’s inaugural exhibition at Photo London features vibrant images examining identity and cultural heritage by contemporary African photographers Asiko, Nana Yaw Oduro, Marc Posso and SaÏdou Dicko, whose work straddles the line between painting and photography. photolondon.org/afikaris
Anastasia Samoylova and Alia Ali at Galerie Peter Sillem
Fresh from a critically acclaimed exhibition with Gallery 193 in Venice, Alia Ali is presenting her new Liberty & Iktatikat series at Photo London, where she is also exhibiting works from her WARP series in the NIKON presents section as People’s Choice artist of 2021.
photolondon.org/troubled-paradise/
Anastasia Samoylova captures unusual corners and perspective of Florida in her charismatic images, with an aesthetic of decadent decay, as a metaphor for the fracturing of American contemporary society. As well as her exhibition with Galerie Peter Sillem at Photo London, Samoylova is launching her new book at Tate Modern’s ‘Offprint London’ (13-15 May) and exhibiting at The Photographer’s gallery, along with other nominees for the prestigious Deutsche Borse photography foundation prize:
thephotographersgallery.org.uk/rebuilding-world
Frank Horvat
Photo London are presenting a beautiful homage to legendary photographer Frank Horvat (1928 – 2020) as part of the 2022 Public Programme, curated by his daughter Fiammetta Horvat and featuring monochrome images capturing the fashion and glamour of Europe and the USA in the 50s and 60s. photolondon.org/frank-horvat/
Marie Cecile Thijs at Smith Davidson Gallery
Exquisite images of flowers, leaves and vegetables float magically in space in Dutch artist Marie Cecile Thijs’s delicate lambda C-prints. Her imagery recalls still lifes of the Dutch Golden Age, and her work is featured in the collections of the Rijksmuseum and Museum Rotterdam.
photolondon.org/smithdavidson-gallery
193 Gallery (G9)
Thandiwe Muriu’s psychedelic images are a vibrant and contemporary examination of African textiles, perceptions of beauty and a celebration of empowered black women. Muriu was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and her CAMO series on display at Photo London explores her experience as a woman artist in a historically male-dominated field, and her experience as a black woman. photolondon.org/193-gallery/
Dave Bennett @ JD Malat gallery (G23)
Dave Bennett, London’s original Paparazzo in the ‘La Dolce Vita’ mould, who has been capturing the iconic faces of contemporary culture since the 70s, is exhibiting two new images of Supermodel Kate Moss alongside several prints previously displayed in his first major solo exhibition at JD Malat’s Mayfair space. photolondon.org/jd-malat-gallery
Cameron Ugbodu and Angéle Etoundi Essamba at Doyle Wham (D15)
Cameron Ugbodu and Angéle Etoundi Essamba are exhibiting with Doyle Wham, the UK’s first contemporary African photography gallery. Born in Cameroon, Angèle Etoundi Essamba studied at the School of Photography of Amsterdam before settling in the city. Doyle Wham are exhibiting her series of vintage silver gelatin prints, monochrome photographs of non-professional female ‘models’, including family members, friends and strangers, which the artist developed in her own darkroom between 1986 and 2002. Cameroon Ugbodu’s striking, surreal images explore the experience of a new generation of young black artists investigating masculinity and queerness within the context of afro-futurism. photolondon.org/doyle-wham
Sebastião Salgado at Galerie Ben Taschen
Stunning black and white prints by Brazilian Master of photography Sebastião Salgado. Salgado’s long career has seen him travel to over 120 countries to capture powerful images of threatened areas of the world such as the Amazon rainforest, and his work is always infused with a sense of humanity. photolondon.org/bene-taschen/
The Artist and his Studio at Suite 59 Gallery (A4)
Amsterdam-based gallery Suite 59 presents vintage prints of iconic male artists including Francis Bacon, Pablo Picasso and Francis Bacon in their natural habitat of the artist’s studio.photolondon.org/suite59-gallery
Atlas gallery
A group exhibition not to be missed by lovers of vintage photographers such as Bill Brandt and Robert Capa, alongside more contemporary work by Bastiaan Woudt, Nick Brandt, Arthur Elgort and Franco Fontana. photolondon.org/atlasgallery
