Photo London 2023
© Federica Belli, The Match, 2022, Courtesy of the artist and Galleria Valeria Bella
Written by Wenjie (Demi) Zhao
Photo Edited by Athena Abdien
Copy Edited by Kee’nan Haggen
“The best of photography’s past, present, and future” will be unveiled at Photo London 2023. Returning for its eighth edition at Somerset House, London, the fair will showcase a dynamic and diverse array of photographic works from over 110 exhibitors across 55 cities worldwide. From May 10 - 14, visitors can look forward to themes ranging from the socio-political to the cinematic, the constructed to the hyper-real.
© Christopher Barraja, De chlore et de Rosé, 2021-2022, Courtesy of Christopher Barraja and Fisheye Gallery
This year, the fair boasts a more comprehensive global reach than ever, featuring exhibitors from countries such as China, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Finland, and Iran. From the pulsating energy of city streets to the tranquil beauty of natural landscapes, from the raw emotions of civil rights movements to the mesmerizing charm of surreal photography, Photo London 2023 offers an unparalleled visual feast that will challenge the way we perceive the world.
Great Dorset Steam Fair, Dorset, England, 2022 © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos / Rocket Gallery
Noteworthy highlights of Photo London 2023 include photography in Africa, civil rights and anti-racist movements, landscape and environment, intersection with other art forms, music, fashion and celebrity, site-specific installations, vintage photography, and surreal photography. Works by renowned artists such as Man Ray, Erwin Blumenfeld, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Kati Horna, and Nan Goldin will be featured at Galerie Sophie Scheidecker (Paris). These artists pivot around the surrealist movement, representing what is beyond reality by following their imagination and dreams. Ira Stehmann Fine Art (Munich) presents the crème de la crème of fashion photographers such as Peter Lindbergh, Steven Meisel, and Jeanloup Sieff. Also, talented photographers like Chantal Elisabeth Ariëns, Albarrán Cabrera, and Miho Kajioka, pushing the boundaries of what fashion photography can achieve.
Cempasuchil © Pia Riverola, Homecoming Gallery
Photo London 2023 remains committed to vintage and modern photography and showcases new technologies pushing the boundaries of photography. Fiumano Chase (London) presents Sam Burford’s AI Photography, where A.I. generated lifelike portraits through prompts. Diorama (Paris | Milan) exhibits Digital Hyperrealism, an advancement of photorealism inspired by Renaissance painters, playing with the notion of authenticity in photography and challenging the boundaries between what is perceived as accurate.
Bristol, England, 2016 © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos / Rocket Gallery
The fair also features fine and nuanced perspectives from female photographers. Alessia Paladini (Italy) presents landscape photography through the eyes of five women photographers, where “photographic poems” unfold. Bildhalle (Amsterdam) showcases works dealing with memory, loss, and hope, exploring the gap between eternal and temporal, beauty and decay, and traces of time embedded in photography. Blue Lotus (Hong Kong) demonstrates a significant increase in galleries from the Asia Pacific region, featuring artists like Fan Ho, Yasuhiro Ogawa, Wing Shya, Greg Girard, Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze, and Tugo Cheng, whose works depict Chinese vintage and historical aspects of Asian Contemporary. Galerie Robert Morat (Berlin) exhibits Swiss artist duo Lena Amuat and Zoë Meyer, celebrating relics of recent European thought and revealing a unique way of understanding the world.
© Jeff Cowen, Golshifteh 5, 2015, Courtesy of the artist and Willas Contemporary
This year, Martin Parr, known as the godfather of British photography, receives the prestigious annual award presented to a living artist who has made an exceptional contribution to the field of photography. In addition, the 2023 Talks Program, curated by Aperture, promises to engage and inspire attendees, while the Photo London Academy offers a year-round, free-of-charge program featuring the Talks Archive, Book Club, and a digital Magazine in the spirit of an artist’s photo book.
Llandudno, Wales, 2013 © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos / Rocket Gallery
Photo London 2023 promises to be an awe-inspiring and captivating journey through the ever evolving world of photography. The fair brings together a dazzling constellation of artists, galleries, and visionaries from all corners of the globe, creating a unique tapestry of stories, experiences, and perspectives. Mark your calendars and prepare to be enthralled this May.
© Rosa Gauditano, Adoption, 1978, Courtesy of Rosa Gauditano and Albumen Gallery
For more information, visit Photo London’s website.
