Photo London Digital also returns for its second edition from 9–28 September, with a preview on artsy.com on 8 September. The digital fair will supplement the physical event, allowing participation to those unable to travel and will feature curated picks by leading photography professionals.

Commenting on the challenges they faced in mounting this sixth edition the Fair’s Founders, Michael Benson and Fariba Farshad, said: “Almost every week has brought a fresh challenge. The collapsing calendar has brought us into direct competition with other fairs in New York and Paris; borders have opened, and borders closed; policy has been so mixed, muddled and misleading that planning anything has been recast as a branch of medieval theology. And yet, thanks to the enthusiasm of our audience, the patience of our exhibitors and their artists, the enduring support of our partners Nikon and FT Weekend, several slices of good fortune, and our own resilience and belligerence, we have prevailed. We are unspeakably proud to be able to present the sixth edition of Photo London at Somerset House alongside the second edition of Photo London Digital, which will continue to present its own international programme, as well as being a platform for galleries unable to travel to London.

This much delayed sixth edition presents an outstanding group of exhibitors who have made their way to London from 15 countries, bringing with them a truly exceptional and diverse group of artists. Our acclaimed talks programme continues online while our public programme exhibitions feature two jewels: an extraordinary show by this year’s Master of Photography, Shirin Neshat and ‘Close Enough: Robert Capa’ showcasing over 50 unseen prints from the Kogan Collection.

And finally, we have been able to continue our support for the work of emerging artists through the Discovery section, a special award for emerging photographers and the Graduates’ Salon. Like the rest of us, these young artists have had a grim year; yet make no mistake they are our future. Visit, take notes and then watch out for their work at future editions of Photo London.” Photo London is the first photography fair to take place worldwide since 2019 and one of the first international art fairs to go ahead in the UK since the pandemic struck. Commenting on the importance of once again welcoming international exhibitors and visitors to the capital, Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries says: “Photo London is a great example of how our capital can bring together talent from across the globe to showcase the power of photography. It attracts Londoners and visitors to our city, providing established creatives with a platform to exhibit, and act as a great opportunity for up-and-coming photographers to showcase their work.”

International exhibitors and local London spaces participating in the fair showcase the best photography, from iconic to emerging. In the main section, first-time exhibitors include Richard Saltoun Gallery (London), showing a booth dedicated to outstanding women photographers - Marina Abramovic, Eleanor Antin, Renate Bertlmann, Helen Chadwick, Rose English, Alexis Hunter, Penny Slinger and Jo Spence; Paul Stolper Gallery (London), presenting five unseen works by Kevin Cummins taken at the Sex Pistols last UK concert, as well as works by Don Brown and Sarah Lucas; Parafin (London) presenting The Forest, a group show exploring images of forests and featuring work by Melanie Manchot, Sophy Rickett, Indrė Šerpytytė and Melanie Smith; and Black Shade Projects (Marrakech), showing an important body of black and white photographic work by Adama Kouyaté and Abderrahmane Sakaly, which highlight the Malian golden era of studio photography associated with names like Malick Sidibé. The artist-led online platform Hi-Noon will make their art fair debut at Photo London, showcasing artists including Lindsay Seers, Catherine Yass, Karne Knorr and Yushi Li.

Returning exhibitors include James Hyman Gallery (London) presenting works by Heather Agyepong, André Kertesz, Man Ray and Bill Brandt ; Galerie Clémentine de la Féronnière (Paris), bringing works by Martin Parr, Peter Mitchell, John Myers and James Barnor, fresh from a major retrospective at the Serpentine Galleries; 193 Gallery (Paris) presenting two photographers from their Colours of Africa exhibition: Hassan Hajjaj and Thandiwe Muriu; Bigaignon (Paris) with works by Ralph Gibson and Catherine Balet; Ed Asmus, Jacqueline Woods and Chris McCaw will be on view at Duncan Miller Gallery (Los Angeles); Michael Hoppen Gallery (London), whose booth will celebrate the work of seminal Mexican artists including Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Enrique Metinides and Kati Horna; Flowers Gallery (London) showing Edward Burtynsky, Nadav Kander, Esther Teichmann, Michael Wolf and further gallery artists; Large Glass (London), with a thematic exhibition titled Bunker: Along the Atlantic Wall, featuring work by Italian Photographer Guido Guidi and Bunkers, an on- going series by Los Angeles based Mark Ruwedel; and CAMERA WORK Gallery (Berlin) presenting an unseen work by David Yarrow.

David Bailey personally selects photographs from his archives for first-time exhibitors, Imitate Modern (London). Showcasing rarely seen photographs of Miles Davies and Jean Shrimpton, with Face Paint by David Hockney. Among the other impressive solo presentations at Photo London, new exhibitors, Albion Barn (Little Milton, Oxfordshire), present a solo booth of new and recent work by Nick Knight. Further solo presentations include Poulomi Basu, finalist of the 2021 Deutsche Börse Prize, at TJ Boulting (London); Rankin at 29 Arts in Progress (Milan), Jessica Backhaus at ROBERT MORAT GALERIE (Berlin), Ching-Yuan Hsu at Galerie_Frédéric Moisan (Paris) and Dafna Talmor at Sid Motion Gallery (London).

Additional highlights include photographs by Constantin Brancusi, André Kertész, Irving Penn, Helmut Newton and other masters at Grob Gallery (London, Geneva); Andy Warhol’s Polaroids and photographs of the pop artist by his friend William John Kennedy at Long Sharp Gallery (Indianapolis); October Gallery (London), presenting pioneering work by James Barnor, Benji Rei, Alexis Peskine and Romuald Hazoumè; and Jane Hilton’s Drag Queen Cowboys series, finalist of the Sony Word Photography Awards, on view for the first time at Eleven Fine Art (Twickenham).

Despite the massive challenges of the pandemic the galleries featured in the Discovery section - dedicated to galleries less than 5 years old - continue breaking new ground. Galerie Number 8 (Brussels) present work by Prix Pictet shortlisted artist David Uzochukwu, as well as Ruby Okoro and Bettina Pittaluga. London’s SEAGER bring together works by Monique Atherton and Liz Calvi, both of whom are concerned with the portrayal of women in an increasingly public sphere. TINTERA (Cairo), make their art fair debut at Photo London, showcasing works by two Middle Eastern contemporary artists, Ibrahim Ahmed and Heba Khalifa, who focus on themes of identity and gender issues through a contemplative display of photographic portraits and unique photo collages. Galerie-Peter-Sillem (Frankfurt am Main) dedicate their booth to Alia Ali, FT Weekend magazine’s ‘top pick’ at Photo London 2019. First-time exhibitors in this section include south London galleries Gas Gallery, specialising in camera less, abstract photography, ECAD specialising in black and white photography, Encounter, whose booth plays with the limits of photography and Indigo + Madder, focusing on contemporary art from South Asia and its diaspora.

Photo London’s commitment to showcasing outstanding historic photography continues with Augusta Edwards Fine Art, presenting works by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Josef Koudelka, Eliott Erwitt and Stuart Franklin; England & Co., exhibit artists who explore photography as a method of documentation, experimentation, and visual statements about politics and feminism. Well-known artists will be on view alongside recently re-discovered ones including Sue Barnes, Rose Boyt and Rolph Gobits; Robert Hershkowitz Ltd (all London), presenting amongst others, Roger Fenton, William Henry Fox Talbot, P.H. Emerson; Stewart & Skeels with Bernard Quaritch (London, Irvine) showing a selection of vintage photos including prints by Julia Margaret Cameron, Bill Brandt, Roger Mayne, Chris Killip; and Roland Belgrave (Brighton), who specialises in sourcing rare and early photographs from the pioneers of Exploration and early travel.

Special exhibitors include London’s Association of Photographers (AOP), and Lee Miller Archives (East Sussex), showing works by the famed photographer alongside the private work of LIFE magazine photographer and editor David E. Scherman, who captured Miller’s life as a war correspondent. Prix Pictet also participate as a special exhibitor with a preview screening of the works shortlisted for Prix Pictet Fire.

In the Publishers section, Photo London is delighted to welcome new exhibitors GOST (London), Setanta Books (London) and Loose Joints (Marseille, London) alongside returning publishers Hoxton Mini Press (London), Thames & Hudson (London) and TASCHEN (Berlin, Cologne, London, Paris, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong), presenting a SUMO collector edition of AMAZÔNIA, Sebastião Salgado’s most extensive project to date.