\Now in its third year, Photo London has come of age. Several big contemporary art galleries are participating for the first time, including Victoria Miro, Sprüth Magers and Alison Jacques, and they are bringing their blue-chip artists—including Isaac Julien, Stephen Shore and Robert Mapplethorpe—along with them. “The big galleries in London are taking on photographers in a way that we haven’t seen for decades,” says Michael Benson, the fair’s co-founder.
Gallery numbers are also swelling at the emerging end of the spectrum. Dealers exhibiting in the Discovery section, dedicated to galleries between one and five years old, have leapt from six to 16 this year. There are 15 newcomers in this section, including Large Glass, l’étrangère and White Rainbow, all based in London.
“The London photography scene is incredibly vibrant at the emerging end,” Benson says. “There’s a real energy and enthusiasm among people aged between 18 and 35 who are opening galleries in their kitchens and studios, just like the YBAs.”
The fair is also hosting an extensive programme of collateral events, exhibitions and talks. The most notable is an exhibition of David Hurn’s personal collection of photographs, curated by fellow photographer Martin Parr, and part of the celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of Magnum Photos.
Meanwhile, using virtual reality, Mat Collishaw is to recreate the world’s first exhibition of photography in 1839, when the British scientist William Henry Fox Talbot first presented his photographic prints to the public.
“London is taking photography very seriously,” Benson says. “Our aim is to be the best photo fair on the planet, bar none.”
• Photo London, Somerset House, 18-21 May
