Photo London marks its 10th anniversary this week opening on Thursday 15th May with a special edition celebrating London and its rich traditions of photography. The Fair returns to Somerset House, which is celebrating its 25th birthday as an international arts destination.
“We are excited to be welcoming such a strong group of international galleries for our landmark tenth edition at Somerset House, including several that have participated in every Fair since the very beginning, and others returning after an absence especially to celebrate this landmark moment with us. We are set to host our largest ever number of collectors and acquisition groups from across the world, attracted by our special anniversary programme including a major exhibition celebrating London and its rich traditions of photography that platforms the city itself this year’s Master of Photography. This exhibition is a testament to all that Photo London has achieved in its first decade during which we have worked closely with the photography community to establish London as an important global hub for the medium. We also celebrate the important role of the book in the photography ecosystem through the creation of a weekend book market for independent publishers, and further expand our long tradition of support for emerging artists through the launch of the new Positions section of the Fair providing a platform for unrepresented artists supported by collectors.”
Photo London Founders Michael Benson and Fariba Farshad,
PHOTO LONDON 2025 EXHIBITORS
Photo London 2025 has confirmed a strong list of international participants featuring several galleries that have exhibited at every edition of the Fair since 2015 including: Robert Hershkowitz Ltd (Lindfield) bringing a selection of historic images of London; Purdy Hicks Gallery (London) presenting a booth dedicated to women artists; CAMERA WORK (Berlin) showing a curated selection of classic and contemporary masterpieces ranging from Irving Penn’s legendary work ‘Mouth’ to Chris Levine’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II; and Bildhalle (Zurich) exhibiting a curated booth including rare vintage prints from the 1949 London series by avant-garde Swiss photographer René Groebli.
Several galleries are presenting solo booths, including: ROSEGALLERY (Santa Monica) returning with Tania Franco Klein, the recipient of the Photo London Emerging Photographer award in 2018; Galerie Bacqueville (Lille) showing a selection of previously unseen works by David de Beyter from his series ‘The Skeptics’; Guerin Projects (London) bringing abstract works on the theme of love by British-American Robin Hunter Blake; Polka Galerie (Paris) presenting Platinum palladium prints by Photo London’s inaugural Master of Photography Sebastião Salgado; and UP Gallery (Taiwan) graduating from Discovery to the main gallery section with a solo presentation of unique works by Taipei-based Mia Liu.
Amongst the galleries celebrating the tenth edition of Photo London with a highlights presentation of greatest hits from the last ten years is Peter Fetterman Gallery (Santa Monica), whilst Amar Gallery (London) presents work by Dora Maar, the Surrealist photographer immortalised as Pablo Picasso’s ‘Weeping Woman’ and the official photographer to the Black Panther Party, Stephen Shames. The Music Photo Gallery dedicate their booth to classic images of musicians, including Bob Dylan and John Lennon and Podbielski Contemporary (Milan) return with a focus on the Middle East, including works by Shadi Ghadirian (Tehran), Rania Matar (Lebanon), Steve Sabella (Palestine) and Yuval Yairi (Israel), creating a dialogue between cultures, faith and current realities.
A strong Latin and South American focus is present at the fair with Bendana-Pinel (Paris) and ROLF (Buenos Aires) showcasing contemporary artists from the region, while David Hill Gallery (London) will bring vintage photographs by Graciela Iturbide. Another Discovery section graduate, EUQINOM Gallery (San Francisco) bring a curated booth of women artists using alternative photographic techniques including cyanotypes by Adama Delphine Fawundu and photograms by Klea McKenna, whilst first-time exhibitors Close Gallery (Somerset) showcase work by Canadian artist Carali McCall who will also do a live performance at the Fair.
2025 sees the return of the special partnership with TurkishBank UK that brings exciting galleries from the region to London including Vision Art Platform, Kairos and Simbart Projects (all Istanbul), who will bring a solo booth of Begüm Mütevellio olu including unseen work using a gum bichromate photography technique that will allow her to merge photographic print with painting.
Belmond returns to Photo London with the second instalment of its acclaimed ‘Belmond Legends’ series, which commissions evocative travel photography “As Seen By” world-renowned artists. For 2025, Belmond is proud to present an exclusive solo exhibition by renowned American photographer Colin Dodgson. This original collection chronicles extraordinary journeys aboard two of Belmond’s iconic sleeper trains: the Andean Explorer, which winds through the majestic high Andes of Peru, and the Eastern & Oriental Express, which meanders through the lush Malaysian jungle. The Peru series is hand-printed by the artist and an accompanying collectible art book of Colin Dodgson’s Andean Explorer series, along with previously unseen images, will be published by the esteemed Parisian art house RVB Books. The book will be available through RVB Books’ global distribution network, including select bookstores, galleries, and online platforms.
DISCOVERY
Photo London’s Discovery section is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading platforms for emerging photographers and galleries. Curated by the critic and author Charlotte Jansen, Discovery once again promises to be a highlight of the Fair, featuring around 20 galleries, including exciting newcomers such as Mortal Machine Gallery (New Orleans) showcasing Bee Gats, a photographer developing a reputation for his gritty, raw and unfiltered portraits of Miami’s underground.
Other highlights include Victoria Law (London) bringing Venezuelan-born Lucia Pizzani, whose photo-basedn works and sculptures tells stories about colonialism and nature through her use of charged materials such as pre-Hispanic tree bark paper, Contour Gallery (Amsterdam) showcasing late career artist Margriet Smulders who creates beautiful, large-scale tableau with flowers riffing on Dutch traditions in painting, and Roman Road (London) presenting Polina Piech, who graduates from the RCA this year, and is interested in capturing the movement of natural environments, working like a painter ‘en plein air’.
“The Discovery section at Photo London has always been, for me, the most exciting area of the Fair. As the name implies, it’s where you might find things that you’ve never seen before, which is quite a rarity these days, given our image-saturated culture. I am excited to see a sharp shift away from portraiture towards semi-abstraction and abstraction across many booths this year and to witness the ways contemporary artists are using the camera in a painterly way, like a brush, with captivating results.”
Photo London Discovery section Curator, Charlotte Jansen,
POSITIONS
Photo London’s Positions is a unique initiative that aims to extend Photo London’s role as a champion of emerging talent. Curated by arts patron and founder of the ISelf Collection, Maria Sukkar, Positions is a distinct section within the Fair that constitutes a significant platform for unrepresented photographic artists. Positions offers a truly unique opportunity for a group of collectors and patrons of the arts to play an invaluable role to support unrepresented artists to show their work side-by-side with galleries in a traditional art fair format. Positions features an exciting group of artists including Adam Rouhana, Giulia Mangione, Tim Rudman, Roberto Conde, Bibi Setareh Manavi, Kalpesh Lathigra and Aikaterini Gegisian.
SPECIAL EXHIBITION ‘LONDON LIVES’
Presented in both the Embankment East & West Galleries at Somerset House, the special exhibition ‘London Lives’ curated by critic and author Francis Hodgson features a dazzling array of creative responses to the City by around 30 of its leading image makers including David Bailey, James Barnor, Antony Cairns, Jamie Hawkesworth, Hannah Starkey, Joy Gregory, Nadav Kander, Idris Khan, Rut Blees Luxemburg, Christian Marclay, Mary McCartney, Simon Roberts, Mitra Tabrizian and Nick Turpin. The exhibition also includes new commissions from Heather Agyepong, Jermaine Francis and Hannah Hughes, whose work will also be published exclusively in the FT Magazine as part of Photo London’s longstanding partnership with FT Weekend. This ambitious and wide-ranging exhibition is both an ode to London and the photography it has inspired.
Miles Aldridge: 15-Minute Polaroid Portrait Sessions at Photo London 2025
During Photo London 2025, renowned photographer and artist Miles Aldridge will bring his studio, including a variety of playful props and coloured backgrounds, to Somerset House for a limited series of 15-Minute Polaroid Portrait Sessions.
Miles Aldridge, known for his vivid, cinematic style, has photographed some of the most iconic figures in contemporary culture, including Sir Elton John, Viola Davis, Maurizio Cattelan, Marina Abramovic, Michael Fassbender, and Maisie Williams. Now, it’s your chance to step into his studio and “be famous for 15 minutes”, and own a unique Polaroid portrait of yourself photographed and signed by Miles Aldridge. There will also be the option to frame the Polaroid at the studio.
Sessions are available for individuals or groups (up to 5 people) and can be booked through Eventbrite for £175 per session. Places are strictly limited so book now to secure your Polaroid Portrait session.
Book your space: HERE
Saltzman-Leibovitz Photography Prize
Established in 2025 by photographer and philanthropist Lisa Saltzman in collaboration with iconic photographer Annie Leibovitz, the Saltzman-Leibovitz Photography Prize celebrates emerging photographic talent and the power of visual storytelling. With a total prize fund of $20,000, the inaugural edition presents six shortlisted artists, selected from participants in Leibovitz’s global mentorship programme.
The shortlisted photographers—Elena Kalinichenko, Ka’Vozia Glynn, Praise Hassan, Toma Hurduc, Trâm Nguy?n Quang, and Zélie Hallosserie—bring diverse perspectives and distinctive visual approaches to themes of war, migration, identity, mental health, and grief.
The prize reflects Saltzman’s commitment to supporting emerging artists through the Saltzman Family Foundation, established in honour of her late parents, Ralph and Muriel Saltzman—art patrons and collectors. Winners will be announced in April 2025, selected by a distinguished jury including Drew Sawyer, Isolde Brielmaier, Kira Pollack, and Raul Martinez.
Plus a Book Market, great Talks Programme & Awards.
Photo London, 15th-18th May 2025, Somerset House photolondon.org
