For their eleventh fair, which opens in Kensington’s Olympia centre this week, Photo London is introducing a moving image programme.
Previously held in Somerset House, Photo London has moved to the redeveloped Olympia. The move has allowed for an expanded programme now including a section exclusively for moving-image works.
The programme includes films by Melissa and Kristina Shook, Sarah Moon, and Sam Batley. Each evening of the fair will also feature two films from the archive of Irish photographer Tom Wood.
The new section comes at a time of change for the organisation, expanding to a new venue and responding to the ever-changing landscape of photography. “In a world saturated with images,” say Photo London directors somberly in their opening address, “Photo London invites you to slow down.” The moving image programme bridges gaps between fine art and “content”, redefining what photography means in the contemporary moment.
This transition also comes with some new and recurring themed sections. “Positions” houses work by underrepresented artists, as well as emerging artist prizes from Nikon and Photo London.
Other galleries included in the fair are also taking on moving image art in their own ways. The Singaporean gallery s t a r c h has integrated video sculptures, as in their Art Basel Miami Beach entry last year. Here, video is integrated into a wider sculptural work that sits in the middle of their photographic contributions. GBS Fine Art, a small gallery from Wells, Somerset, brings the video-works of Jeffrey Blondes to the fair. Blondes, a landscape photographer and painter, presents a tour of Berkshire countryside in his signature style, consisting of still long-shots.
Blondes’ video perhaps best examplifies the boundary breaking that Photo London brings into its new era. While the fair restricts itself to a single medium, it doesn’t hold back from dissecting photography to understand the ways it interacts with other media.
Photo London runs until 17th May 2026. To find out more, visit their website.
