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Forbes
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Photo London 2025: Celebrating A Decade With Icons, Rebels, And Urgent New Voices
Polka, Sebastiao Salgado, Two Weddell seals on an iceberg, Enterprise Island, Antarctic Peninsula, 2004_© Sebastiao Salgado. Courtesy Polka Galerie Photo London celebrates its 10th anniversary with a special edition presenting a thoughtfully curated selection of the world's most seminal photographers and masters of the craft, juxtaposed with emerging talent pushing the technical and aesthetic boundaries of what constitutes photography. Expect to find a wealth of photographic imagery from all corners of the globe, spanning almost two centuries since the invention of photography by Louise Daguerre in 1830 to the present day. Part of Photo London's success appears to be its ability to capture the zeitgeist of new photographic innovations whilst appreciating the technical skill and legacy of legendary image-makers such as the Magnum photographers. Photo London is also great at championing photographic talent across generations, cultures and genders, and the 2025 edition features a wealth of talented women photographers and also embraces talent from the LGBTQI+ community. Photo London's 10th anniversary edition delivers a vibrant and layered celebration of photography's rich history and dynamic present. Returning to Somerset House with signature ambition, the fair strikes a compelling balance between honoring iconic masters and spotlighting bold, socially conscious contemporary work. This year's edition underscores photography's power not just to document but to provoke, reveal, and reimagine. A major highlight is the tribute to three titans of 20th-century photography—David Bailey, Bill Brandt, and Brassaï. Bailey's rock-and-roll portraits still exude raw charisma and irreverence; Brandt's shadowy compositions remind us why he remains the poet of British postwar imagery; and Brassaï's night-time Paris, ever-seductive and mysterious, continues to seduce new generations of viewers. These luminaries provide a spine of photographic excellence that anchors the fair's historical dimension. This is also a year where strong women photographers command deserved attention at Photo London. A standout is The Lee Miller Archives who are presenting a curated selection of Miller's war reportage with striking immediacy. Her unflinching images of World War II–which were the focus of the new film LEE starring Kate Winslet at Miller–from the liberation of Buchenwald to her unforgettable self-portrait in Hitler's bathtub, are a timely reminder of photography's role in bearing witness. Mary McCartney, meanwhile, brings a quieter intimacy with portraits that blend celebrity with a painterly softness, while Julia Fullerton-Batten stuns with a visceral, theatrical tableau of Victorian women boxing—an image that punches through the noise with feminist force and visual drama. Female Boxers by Julia Fullerton-Batten © Julia Fullerton-Batten Photo London Director, Sophie Parker, comments: '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 as an art object in all its forms.' An emerging theme throughout the fair is photography's response to the climate crisis. Award-winning Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado's majestic landscapes from his Genesis series blend awe with activism, while Icelandic journalist turned photographer Ragnar Axelsson's haunting black-and-white portraits of life in the Arctic capture not only the region's stark beauty but the existential fragility of its communities and ecosystems. These works demand contemplation, offering not just spectacle but urgent commentary. Ragnar Axelsson 'Sled Dogs on Sea Ice, Thule', 2010, Arctic Heroes, Archival Print Ragnar Axelsson Courtesy of Qerndu Gallery. In the Discovery section curated by Charlotte Jansen, Photo London proves its ongoing commitment to diverse, underrepresented voices, with a notably strong showing from LGBTQI photographers. Jesse Glazard's introspective images of queer soldiers in Ukraine are both tender and defiant, exploring identity, resilience, and love under siege. Vivienne Maricevic's archival photographs of the trans community in Times Square in the late 1980s and early 1990s are equally powerful—intimate, gritty portraits that preserve a vibrant yet vulnerable moment in queer history. Jesse Glazzard, Oleksandr, 2024 © Jesse Glazzard An overshadowed 'muse' and civil right photographer are foregrounded by Amar Gallery who are presenting the revolutionary work of Dora Maar–often relegated to the role of Picasso's muse and lover, yet an accomplished artist in her own right–with the photography of Stephen Shames, official photographer for the Black Panther party. A poignant juxtaposition in an era when women's rights and racial equality are still threatened by some societies. Amar Gallery, Black Panther Series © Stephen Shames As Photo London turns ten, it's clear that the fair is not resting on nostalgia. Instead, it charts a forward-looking path that honors photography's rich lineage while embracing its ever-expanding social and cultural role. The 2025 edition doesn't just celebrate photography—it challenges us to see differently, feel more deeply, and remember what is at stake in the world around us. © Lee Miller Archives, England 2025. All rights reserved. Highlights of a particularly stellar line-up to mark the 10th birthday of Photo London include era-defining fashion photographs and portraits of 20th Century icons including Dylan and Basquiat by David Bailey at Dellasposa (some of Bailey's iconic images of London are also featured in London Lives); a curated selection of vintage photographs by Brassaï and Bill Brandt at Grob Gallery (Geneva); wartime reportage photography from the Lee Miller Archives–including her iconic 1941 image Fire Masks, Downshire Hill–presented at Photo London ahead of Miller's Tate Britain retrospective this autumn; a special display of platinum prints from former Photo London Master of Photography Sebastião Salgado's legendary Genesis series at Polka Galerie (Paris); Ragnar Axelsson's atmospheric monochrome images of man's interaction with animals and the desolate landscape of the arctic presented by Icelandic publisher and gallery Qerndu; Mary McCartney's poignant imagery featured in the London Lives exhibition; Vivienne Maricevic's photographic series documenting the trans community of Times Square in New York City in the late 80s and early 90s at New Discretions gallery, and Jesse Glazzard's brave series of images documenting queer soldiers in Ukraine in the Discovery Section. Mary McCartney 'Embrace' Photo London Discovery section Curator, Charlotte Jansen, said: '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's 10th anniversary edition proves that photography is an ever evolving art form that in the right hands has the ability to capture the most urgent, poignant, life-affirming images of our lives. Photo London is at Somerset House until 18th May, 2025. © David Bailey
The Guardian
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
It's a knockout! Punchy images from Photo London
Photo London marks its 10th anniversary with a special edition celebrating the capital and its rich traditions of photography. Featured at this year's fair is Joseph McKenzie who pioneered the teaching of photography within the UK's art education establishment. His lifetime ambition was to gain acceptance for photography as fine art. McKenzie worked predominantly as a social documentary photographer – 'a man with a conscience' – focused on people in everyday life. Photo London is at Somerset House, London, 15–18 May Photograph: Joseph McKenzie/Mckenzie & Hamilton Gallery This year's Lee Miller Archives booth at Photo London will centre mostly on her war journalism, tying the booth to the movie Lee. Photo London gives collectors the opportunity to buy a piece of history before the major forthcoming exhibition at Tate Britain in October. You can see more in our gallery here Photograph: Lee Miller/Lee Miller Archives Alice Mann's series Drummies depicts the unique and aspirational subculture surrounding all-female teams of drum majorettes. The Elgin Majorettes team is made up of girls from a number of schools around the area. These four girls attend St Michael's Primary. The team's coach is also the headmaster of the school Photograph: Alice Mann Julia Fullerton-Batten is a fine art photographer renowned for her cinematic visual storytelling. Her large-scale projects are based around specific themes, each image embellishing her subject matter in a series of thought-provoking 'stories' using staged tableaux and sophisticated lighting techniques Photograph: Julia Fullerton-Batten Mary McCartney's work is based around creating intimate connections with her sitters – and inviting the viewer to become a participant in the image as well as an observer. You can see more of her work in this gallery of London photographers Photograph: Mary McCartney Bee Gats is a Latino photographer from Miami. He creates gritty, raw and unfiltered portraits of Miami's underground – a world he himself grew up in – often including images of guns and gang violence Photograph: BeeGats/Mortal Machine Fantastical supernatural creatures, intimate portraits of London girlhood and delicate works printed on glass and single leaves make up Sarabande's House of Bandits' first foray into Photo London. This image explores the transition between states of health, illness and wellbeing, using recycled materials related to rest and recovery (pillows, mattresses, duvets) to create tactile shapes that envelop the body Photograph: Paloma Tendero/Sarabande Foundation Margriet Smulders' still lifes, which she started photographing in the 1990s, use mirrors, elaborate glass vases and rich draperies alongside vibrant florals. They often reference Greek myths of love, rivalry, jealousy and bloodshed using abstract imagery Photograph: Margeriet Smulders/Contour Gallery Petite Doll is a current artist in residence at Sarabande, practising across photography, video and digital art. Her work fuses self-portraiture and surrealism by inhabiting different characters, with meticulous attention to detail given to the props and sets she handcrafts herself Photograph: Petite Doll AKA Giulia Grillo/House of Bandits by Sarabande foundation Gabriel Pinto, a young Venezuelan photographer and researcher, focuses on ethnographic research and photography. Pinto's work focuses on celebrating, honouring and preserving African-Venezuelan culture, inspired by his deep connection to his heritage in Barlovento, where 100,000 African people were taken as slaves between the 16th and 19th centuries. They were forced to work as labourers on cocoa haciendas – this history has resulted in strong regional traditions, cuisine and crafts Photograph: Gabriel Pinto/BETA Contemporary Omri Emile Rosengart collected stories over four years for his book. The moments shared are preserved pieces of his continued journey, revealing his thoughts towards each memory presented. There will be a book signing at Photo London Photograph: Omri Emile Rosengart/Bright Gallery Matalon's work deals with desire and power dynamics, fixing a gaze that empowers and provides a rarely seen female photographic viewpoint. Her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Financial Times among others Photograph: Molly Matalon/Palm Studios Adam Rouhana is a Palestinian-American artist whose photography deconstructs Orientalism within the broader context of Palestine. He questions his position as a Palestinian behind the camera, both as a westerner, having grown up in the US, and as an Arab. He is often inspired by domestic life from his early memories in Palestine Photograph: Adam Rouhana Amar Gallery will present the revolutionary photograms and photographs by Dora Maar, alongside Stephen Shames, the official photographer for the Black Panther party. Both Maar and Shames fought for equality, often using their art to highlight social issues Photograph: Dora Maar/Amar Gallery Amar Gallery's presentation is an example of exhibitors using their space to highlight social issues, in this case forefronting messages of revolution, equality and justice Photograph: Stephen Shames/Amar Gallery Shooting almost exclusively on black and white film and using traditional developing techniques – in this case multiple-exposure silver gelatin prints – in his home studio, Robin Hunter Blake sets out to explore the more tangible processes in image making. He has a pure and poetic approach to process Photograph: Robin Hunter Blake/Guerin Projects These intimate portrayals of daily life in the American south, particularly of childhood experience and joy, are vintage Baldwin Lee works of the 1980s Photograph: Baldwin Lee/David Hill Gallery Klea McKenna demonstrates a return to traditional techniques, and the celebration of the objectivity of a photograph as something to be seen in real life and to be experienced Photograph: Klea McKenna/EUQINOM Bendana-Pinel gallery shows one of Brazil's leading contemporary photographers, Caio Reisewitz, whose work explores the changing relations of city and countryside in light of the climate emergency, both in Brazil and the rest of the world. Brazil is a nation of contradictions, caught between a desire to preserve an exceptionally rich environmental heritage and the will for exponential growth. Reisewitz seeks to capture the image of a fragile beauty, that of an unspoiled nature; an Eden endangered by deforestation, oil exploitation and expansion of settlements Photograph: Caio Reisewitz/Bendana Pinel Art Contemporain Galerie Clémentine de la Féronnière returns to the fair with works by Martin Parr and James Barnor. Photographs by Barnor from his studio in London in the late 60s celebrate his pioneering role in bridging Ghanaian and British cultural identities through photography Photograph: James Barnor/Galerie Clémentine de la Féronnière Early works by Parr offer a glimpse into the development of his keen observational style Photograph: Martin Parr/Galerie Clémentine de la Féronnière
CairoScene
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Karim El Hayawan to Exhibit at Photo London's ‘Positions' Show
Karim El Hayawan to Exhibit at Photo London's 'Positions' Show This May, Photo London introduces a new section of its renowned photography fair titled 'Positions', aimed at giving unrepresented artists a platform on the international stage. Among the selected artists is Cairo-based visual artist and interior architect Karim El Hayawan, whose practice bridges photography and design. Collecting Stars - Sabah After founding Design Point Studio in 2002, El Hayawan pursued visual storytelling under the mentorship of Reuters photojournalist Alaa Abdel Naby. His work, often exploring the shared elements of human experience, draws on the idea of universal metaphors to connect audiences across cultural lines. Between Here & Elsewhere El Hayawan's inclusion in 'Positions' came about through a connection with arts patron Nora Al Kholi, and a curatorial collaboration with Maria Sukkar. They worked closely together to select works from two of El Hayawan's photo series: 'Collecting Stars' and 'Between Here & Elsewhere'. In 'Collecting Stars', El Hayawan captures the complex presence of iconic film figures in everyday life, as seen through his lens during a two-hour walk through Cairo's bustling Saturday market. The series meditates on the allure and ubiquity of movie stars. 'There's a tension in how these stars become objectified,' El Hayawan shares. 'Yet we still feel connected to them, still appreciate them. They're a part of what we love and who we are.' Collecting Stars - Hend Rostom El Hayawan's second series, 'Between Here & Elsewhere', is the result of a solo exhibition in collaboration with Art 74. It takes a documentary-poetic approach to a curious phenomenon: the presence of donated domestic rugs, casually laid across the interiors of Cairo's most iconic mosques. By recontextualising these rugs as visual subjects, El Hayawan constructs 'a triangular exchange between the artist, the anonymous rug-owner, and the viewer.' Through this layered dialogue, the rugs transcend their position as functional objects to become fragments of lived memory, aesthetic storytelling, and urban history. Between Here & Elsewhere 'This collection is an organic, continuous collage,' Al Hayawan notes. 'It carries a lot of energy. It's a reflection of how we live and create.' Through 'Positions', El Hayawan's work gains a new international platform, one that aligns with Photo London's mission to reimagine the boundaries of contemporary photography.
The Guardian
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
London is the place for me! The capital's best image makers
To mark the 10th edition of Photo London, London Lives brings together over 30 of the capital's most celebrated and innovative image-makers. Alys Tomlinson works mostly in black and white, exploring themes of faith, ritual and identity. The Lost Summer portraits were taken in summer 2020. With school proms cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, she photographed teenagers dressed in outfits they would have worn to the prom, shot in their gardens, backyards and local parks. London Lives is showing at Photo London from 15 – 18 May Aldridge rose to prominence in the mid-90s with his arresting, highly stylised photographs containing references to film noir, art history and pop culture. An acclaimed colourist, he renders elaborate mise-en-scènes in a palette of vibrant acidic hues. These eroticised images probe society's idealised notions of domestic bliss, where sinister undercurrents swirl beneath a flawless surface. Aldridge remains one of the few photographers still shooting predominately on film Rut Blees Luxemburg's projects include Silver Forest (2016), an architectural installation on the western facade of Westminster city hall, and London Dust (2011–13), a series of photographs and a film that trace the rapid architectural transformation of the City of London in relation to the development of CGI photographic representation. She also created the iconic cover for the Streets' debut album Original Pirate Material Hannah Starkey is a contemporary British photographer best known for her images of women in staged settings. Particularly the city environment of London where she is based Photograph: Courtesy Maureen Paley, London Jamie Hawkesworth is known for his poetic portrayals of the architecture and people of Britain. Preferring the slower, more tactile approach of analogue photography, Hawkesworth shoots exclusively on film and meticulously develops his own prints. He surveys the nation's residents with nuance and empathy, bringing a unique sense of mystery to his images – qualities which extend across his documentary and commercial fashion work Over the past 30 years, British-Iranian photographer and filmmaker Mitra Tabrizian has explored themes of alienation and the chasms between third and first worlds, taking cues from the writings of Baudrillard and Lyotard Renowned street photographer Turpin's series On the Night Bus was published to much acclaim in 2017. Shot in the winter months from a raised platform in central London, Turpin captures bus passengers unawares during their evening commute. The portraits are at once beautiful and dark and raise questions about voyeurism and public and private space. Despite being shot from a long way off with a telephoto lens through thick windows that obscure or blur the subjects, the images reveal an intimate glimpse into the life of the city traveller Chrystel Lebas is a London-based visual artist interested in encouraging a wider understanding of the complex encounter between humankind and nature. Through photography, the moving image and sound she explores and reveals histories concealed in landscapes Julia Fullerton-Batten is a fine-art photographer renowned for her highly cinematic visual story-telling. Her large-scale projects are based around specific themes, each image embellishing her subject matter in a series of thought-provoking narrative 'stories' using staged tableaux and sophisticated lighting techniques. Unusual locations, highly creative settings and street-cast models accented with cinematic lighting are hallmarks of her work Originally from Newham, David Bailey is best known for his arresting yet spare portraits and fashion images, which have conveyed a radical sense of youth and sexuality, often typifying the look of the times. But Bailey has also taken many photos of London's East End over his lifetime, documenting the changing physical and social landscape of east London. Although celebrated for the emotion and rigour of his compositions as a portrait photographer, Bailey has also proved his mastery in imbuing society and street with a visceral sense of time and place Mary McCartney is a world renowned photographer, film-maker and sustainable food pioneer. Her work pays homage to the artistry of portraiture. Her connection with the sitter is intimate, personal and engaging, the viewer becomes both participant and an observer of these private moments. McCartney's work has been featured globally, and much of it is held in major private and public permanent collections Photograph: Courtesy of Château La Coste Idris Khan draws on diverse cultural sources including literature, history, art, music and religion. While his mindset is more painterly than photographic, he often employs the tools of photomechanical reproduction to create his work, photographing or scanning from secondary source material. He then builds up the layers of scans digitally, which allows him to meticulously control minute variances in contrast, brightness and opacity. The resultant images are often large-scale C-prints with surfaces that have a remarkable optical intensity Photograph: Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro
Times
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
The other side of London in photographs — from David Bailey to garage raves
In the late 1990s the raw power of London's nightlife was captured in a series of images by the photographer Ewen Spencer — at a time when house and garage music were evolving into something faster and more frenzied: 'speed garage'. As the tempo rose from 125 beats per minute to 145, Spencer caught dancers in euphoric poses at Sunday night parties called Twice as Nice, at The End nightclub in Bloomsbury. Spencer is among more than 30 photographers whose images of the capital are celebrated at the tenth edition of the Photo London photography fair this week in a special London Lives exhibition. David Bailey's East End portraiture, Julia Fullerton-Batten's recreations of historical scenes along the Thames, Nick Turpin's steamy shots of night bus passengers, Nigel Shafran's portraits of teenage shoppers and many more will be on London's London Lives is at the Embankment East and West Galleries of Somerset House from Thursday to Sunday
