Photo London 2018: displays from over 100 of the world’s leading galleries all in one place

More than 100 of the world’s leading photo galleries will soon be heading to Somerset House in London for fourth edition of Photo London. The 2018 fair will take place between 17 – 20 May, with tickets on sale at photolondon.org.

The fourth edition of the fair will include 108 galleries from 18 different countries, including Italy, Japan, the UK, the USA, Switzerland, China, Denmark and more. Selected by an expert Curatorial Committee, this year sees the first time a host of “special” projects are to be included in the fair.

Flux Harpsichord Concert, 2017 by Elina Brotherus. Courtesy of the artist and the camera oscura galleria de arte, Madrid.

An installation on “1968” is to be presented by Olivier Castaing / School Gallery in Paris, while a major exhibition on the legacy of William Henry Fox Talbot, considered to be the inventor of photography, will be curated by Hans P. Kraus Jr (New York). The exhibition will feature vintage prints alongside contemporary artworks by Adam Fuss, Cornelia Parker, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Mike Robinson and Ver Lutter. A solo show by Darren Almond will also be shown by White Cube (London).

Emerging artists

The Discovery section of Photo London was introduced last year. A showcase for emerging galleries and artists, in 2018 it will be curated for the second time by Art Consultant and Curator Tristan Lund and has been significantly expanded for this year’s show. The 22 galleries feature in Discovery include a range of artists from London, plus international galleries from The Hague, Munich, Geneva, Tokyo, Mexico City and Beijing.

Each year a “Master of Photography” is selected – this year, the accolade goes to Canadian fine art photographer Edward Burtynsky. As part of this year’s programme, Burtynsky will present a special exhibition of new and rarely-seen work including a preview of his latest project Anthropocene. He’ll also present a newly developed Augmented Reality (AR) experience.

Nimbus WLA, 2017 by Berndnaut Smilde. Courtesy Ronchini.

Burtynsky will also be giving a talk as part of the Photo London Talks Programme on Thursday 17 May. Other speakers include Joel Meyerowitz, Cornelia Parker, Susan Lipper, Bruce Gilden and Vera Lutter.

Several artists will be displaying at “Solo Artist Booths”. These include Bruce Gilden (Leica Camera), Guy Bourdin (Louise Alexander Gallery), Fabrice Monteiro (Mariane Ibrahim), Ren Hang (ON Gallery), and Yusuke Yamatani (Yuka Tsurano).

Prominent British galleries will also be displaying shows. Guy Bourdin’s personal Polaroids will be presented by the Louise Alexander Gallery, while the Atlas Gallery will be showing new work by the Dusseldorf school photographer Andreas Gefeller from his Blank series, a new museum portfolio by British photographer Chris Simpson and previously unseen work by Jimmy Nelson.

A plethora of international offerings will also be on display, including a strong showing of both Chinese and Japanese photography.

Saw Mills #1, Lagos, Nigeria, 2016. © Edward Burtynsky, courtesy of Metivier Gallery, Toronto / Flowers Gallery, London

Several galleries in different genres will also be presented. Landscape photography is served by a number of different galleries, including the Peter Fetterman Gallery, which will be showing landscapes by Ansel Adams and Sebastian Salgado. The Photographers Gallery will also be showing a landscape-based exhibition. Other specific genres include fashion, 19^th century/early 20^th century, alternative and abstract.

For full details of the fair programme, and to buy tickets, visit photolondon.org. A day pass costs £27, while talks are an additional fee.

A full list of participating galleries is as follows: