Now in its seventh year, Photo London is an internationally renowned photography festival that takes place in Somerset House, London. Over the course of four days, up-and-coming photographers join some of the biggest names in the industry for a series of exhibitions, talks and workshops.
This year 106 photographers from 18 different countries are exhibiting at the Photo London with works spanning all genres of photography. From intimate portraits to abstract landscapes and even a series of self-portraits dating back to the 1850s, the solo and exhibitions promise to deliver thought-provoking, powerful imagery.
See also: Photo London 2022: What you need to know
The Discovery section showcases emerging photographic artists who explore contemporary topics such as climate change, our relationship to our bodies and representation of gender, just to name a few. There is also a special section called Photography breaking Boundaries which includes sculptural works by Miriam Naeh, represented by PLEASE QUEUE HERE, Paul Chapoellier represented by Seagar Galert and Adam Jeppesen represented by Black Box Projects.
While every exhibition at Photo London is worth taking in, we've put together a list of 10 photographers that we think are truly unmissable. There are still tickets left for next week's event which can be purchased directly from the Photo London website where you can also find detailed information about the public program.
Afikaris
Based in Paris and founded in 2018 by Florian Azzopardi, Afikaris is a young contemporary art gallery that showcases emerging African artists whose work is influenced by the motherland. Gabonese portrait photographer Marc Posso is one of four African artists whose work will be available to view at the event. He is joined by Ghanaian photographer Nana Yaw Oduro, the self-taught visual artist Saidou Dicko who creates and fine art photographer Asiko. As well as supporting emerging talent, Afikaris also supports undiscovered artists living on the continent so that old and new talent can learn from each other.
Mia Dudek
Polish photographer Mia Dudek is a multidisciplinary artist who explores the relationship between the body and the architectural fabric while diving into themes of intimacy displacement and inhabiting. Her striking images focus on the eroticism of the brutalist form taken from three separate photography series: Inhabited, Skin Studies and Fruiting Bodies. Dudek's work is evocative, suggestive and a little bit erotic. Not one to be missed if you're into the more abstract side of art nude.
Max Miechowski
Presenting on behalf of Open Doors, Max Miechowski is a British long-form photographer who examines the reciprocal relationships between cultures and communities, the individual and the landscape. Land Loss is Miechowki's latest body of work which focuses on the hypnotic beauty of the UK's East Coast which is the fastest eroding coastline in Europe. Over multiple trips to the area, Miechowki has documented an ever-changing landscape that will one day disappear into the sea.
Daniel Holfeld
Winner of the Budapest International Photo Award Daniel Holfeld will exhibit The Space Between – a series of minimalist photos that evoke a sense of calmness and poetic lyricism. Playing with color and geometry, Holfeld's vibrant images give little away about where they are taken and instead pull the viewer in with their sense of mystery. Born in Ireland to German parents, Holfeld studied for a BA (Hons) in photography and has already had work exhibited in New York, London and Paris.
Angèle Etoundi Essamba - Doyle Wham
Doyle Wham is the UK's first and only contemporary African Photography gallery and this year at Photo London Cameroonian photographer Angèle Etoundi Essamba will be showcasing her 1993 portrait, Femme Portant L'Universe. Essamba's photography focuses on women and specifically the identity of African women. The striking black and white silver gelatin print is currently up for sale at Doyle Wham but will be available to view in all its glory during the four-day festival. Essamba will also be joined by Cameron Ugbodu as Doyle Wham representative.
Edward Burtynsky
Recognized by the Sony World Photo Awards for his outstanding contribution to photography, Edward Burtynsky's images depicting global industrial landscapes will be on show at Photo London. Over the last 40 years, Burtynsky has dedicated his life to documenting the impact humans have on the planet by photographing areas we have imposed on such as the Chuquicamata Copper Mine in Calama, Chile and the Dandora Landfill in Nairobi, Kenya where a lot of the world's plastic is sent to be recycled. His enormous, large-scale prints are a wonder to look at and provide a clear view of how much we have changed our world.
Hannah Hughes
Working with photography, collage and sculpture, Hannah Hughes explores the relationship between image, sculpture and language. Her abstract images are rooted in the history of recycling and archaeology of discarded materials and her work incorporates everyday materials such as glossy magazine paper, pulp packaging and clay. By examining our relationship to domestic materials and how they can be saved and re-used, Hannah's work explores ideas around support systems and containment.
Bettina Pittaluga
Taking part in a group exhibition with Galerie Number 8, Betiina Pittaluga's work focuses on humanity in the deepest sense of the word. Her imagery is raw yet refined and the people in it are in natural positions rather than forced poses. She often takes intimate portraits of marginalized groups who are under-represented by gender, age or race. Galerie Number 8 champions artists such as Bettina who create work with the hope of dismantling cultural barriers and sexual constructs.
Lou Escobar
Lou Escobar's photos are instantly recognizable, characterized by their vibrant cinematic style and the juxtaposition between the real and surreal. His work is evocative, playing with nuances between fact and fiction, people and places. Based in Paris, Escobar's work has been featured in Marie Claire, ID Mag and he has shot for high-end fashion brand Gucci. His work oozes personality through his vibrant use of colors, abstract poses and a touch of sensuality.
Grey Crawford
Since the 1970s, Grey Crawford has been quietly working on his career, spending decades going unnoticed and unpublished. It wasn't until a shift in the L.A. art scene that Crawford finally started to receive some recognition as he started using a never before seen technique to manipulate color photographs in the darkroom. The result was THe Chroma Series (1978 - 1984) which depicts brightly colors, and abstract landscapes created by cutting and masking basic geometric shapes through color filters directly onto photographic paper. Now considered one of the visual pioneers of photography, Crawford's work is not to be missed.
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