Showcasing the very best of the past, present and future of photography, the fifth edition of Photo London 2019 is bigger than ever, with over 100 of the world’s leading galleries, featuring artists ranging from established masters to rising stars. Here’s our guide to some of the key highlights and you can book your tickets here.
On display will be the work of over 440 artists from 114 galleries together with special exhibitors. It's a tribute to the success of the fair to see so many galleries returning to Photo London, and this year we’re thrilled to welcome more than 25 new galleries to London from all corners of the globe; from Taiwan to Seoul, from Helsinki to Hungary and from South Africa to Buenos Aires, including carlier | gebauer of Berlin, Galerie Nikolaus Ruzicska of Salzburg, TOBE Gallery of Budapest and UP Gallery of Hsinchu City.
Photo London constantly strives to push the boundaries and reimagine the medium of photography. This could be through photography and collage with Noémie Goudal, photography and installation with Laurent Millet, photography and light with Es Devlin, photography as digital manipulation with Nancy Burson, Maryam Palizgir with photography and sculpture or Joan Fontcuberta’s print manipulations.
Photo London’s expert Curatorial Committee, led by Philippe Garner, regard this year’s fair as being the strongest yet. A quarter of exhibitors are bringing solo presentations to Photo London this year, with a selection including Tony Gum (Christopher Moller Gallery), Max Pinckers (Gallery Sofie Van de Velde) and Karen Knorr (Sundaram Tagore Gallery).
Sir John Herschel first coined the term ‘photography’ in 1838 at Somerset House, which makes it the perfect location to showcase the rich history of the medium. This year Photo London hosts The Essential Fenton, a major exhibition of work by the great pioneering photographer Roger Fenton, curated by Robert Hershkowitz and supported by the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Wilson Centre for Photography. The show will be accompanied by a panel discussion on Fenton’s work with Sophie Gordon, Hope Kingsley, Martin Barnes and Francis Hodgson. In addition, many of the galleries will be bringing captivating historic prints, including works by William Henry Fox Talbot, Ansel Adams, Elisabeth Hase and Jacques-Philippe Potteau.
With an expanded Discovery element this year, Photo London dedicates a whole section of the fair to emerging photography. With up and coming galleries such as Cob Gallery, Webber Gallery and California’s EUQINOM Gallery, head here to discover the cutting-edge talent of the photography world.
The acclaimed talks programme showcases the rich and diverse history of photography up until the present day, exploring the current and potential future directions of the medium. There are talks, debates and discussions with some of the world’s most important and innovative photographers, artists, curators, critics and authors. Celebrated photographers include Erwin Olaf, Susan Meiselas, Ralph Gibson, Hannah Starkey, Tim Walker, Maja Daniels, Ed Templeton, Gavin Turk, Mitch Epstein, Nick Brandt and Jem Southam.
Each year the fair nominates a single practitioner as their Master of Photography. Following on from Edward Burtynsky in 2018, this year Photo London has chosen Stephen Shore. Known for his pioneering use of colour photography and early experimentation with new technologies, Shore’s work has been celebrated, widely published and exhibited for the past 45 years. Shore will present a new body of work, which will be shown for the first time in the UK as well as a series from 1969 titled Los Angeles, which features 60 photographs taken over the course of a day in 1969.
Gavin Turk is presenting a new ambitious project in collaboration with Photo London, Somerset House and Ben Brown Fine Arts, featuring his giant bronze egg sculpture, Oeuvre. The bronze egg is intended as a starting point and inspiration for photographers around the world to collaborate with Gavin on an ambitious public installation for Photo London, titled Gavin Turk - Portrait of an Egg.
Submissions to Portrait of an Egg can be made via the project website: www.gavinturkegg.art
Howard Greenberg Gallery will showcase a selection of works by the late American street photographer Vivian Maier, marking the most comprehensive presentation of her work in the UK. Vivian Maier (1926-2009) worked as a governess for more than four decades, all the while documenting life around her with a remarkable eye. Her secret photographic life went largely unnoticed until her images were accidentally discovered, revealing a colossal body of work consisting of more than 120,000 negatives, Super 8mm and 16mm films, various recordings and a multitude of undeveloped films. This presentation provides a glimpse into her unique visual language.
MADE IN DUBLIN is a powerful nine-screen, surround sound panoramic about a city on the move. It presents a continually changing cycle of events played out by the movement of people caught up in a time and place. And that place is Dublin.
Built around the photographs of Eamonn Doyle, with production design by Niall Sweeney, music by David Donohoe and the words and voice of Kevin Barry, MADE IN DUBLIN is a choreography of the city; its population, body and psyche.
Photo London takes over Somerset House from Thu 16 - Sun 19 May. Book your tickets and pre-order your catalogue here.
