As Photo London 2026 unveils its 11th edition in a striking new home at Olympia London, Culturalee Editor Lee Sharrock selects six standout presentations not to miss.Under the direction of Sophie Parker — now one of Europe’s youngest female art fair directors — Photo London enters a bold new era, departing its longtime home at Somerset House and beginning an exciting new chapter in Kensington.
Photo London 2026 brings together leading galleries, celebrated photographers and emerging artists to explore the ever-evolving future of photography. The fair’s relocation to Olympia — the historic West London venue currently undergoing a £1.3 billion transformation led by Heatherwick Studio — offers expanded exhibition space and a renewed sense of ambition.
The move has created a more unified and immersive experience, with enlarged sections including Discovery, Positions and Publishing. New initiatives include the return of curator Tristan Lund to oversee Source, a new section dedicated to solo artist presentations, alongside a dedicated screening room for artists’ films exploring photography’s relationship with moving image. Highlights include Sarah Moon’s film There Is Something About Lillian.
This year’s edition also sees the return of the acclaimed Master of Photography series, honouring legendary American fashion photographer Steven Meisel, while Autograph presents works by 17 women and non-binary artists from its collection. An expanded Discovery section spotlights emerging galleries, with particularly strong South Asian representation, while the second edition of Positions champions unrepresented photographers supported by collectors and patrons.
A curated Talks Programme by Thames & Hudson returns alongside awards including the Photo London x Nikon Emerging Photographer of the Year Award and the Photo London Student Award. A focused presentation of Central and Eastern European and Latin American galleries further broadens the fair’s international scope, offering greater visibility for important global voices beyond the “emerging” category.
With so much exceptional photography on view — from iconic masters to rising talents — narrowing the selection to six highlights was no easy task. Culturalee’s must-see picks include presentations by Joel Meyerowitz at POLKA Galerie, Jane Evelyn Atwood at In Camera and L. Parker Stephenson, the Lee Miller Archives, Martin Parr at Rocket Gallery, David Bailey at Camera Eye, and Kincső Bede at TOBE Gallery.
Joel Meyerowitz at POLKA Galerie (Paris)
POLKA Galerie presents luminous large-scale colour works by Joel Meyerowitz, widely regarded as one of the pioneers of colour photography. Among the highlights is New York City, 1975, an atmospheric image capturing a couple walking through clouds of steam rising from a Manhattan sidewalk. Meyerowitz’s cinematic depictions of urban life and landscape remain deeply influential, transforming everyday street scenes into poetic meditations on light, movement and memory.
Lee Miller Archives (Sussex)
Following the record-breaking success of Lee Miller’s 2025 retrospective at Tate Britain — the institution’s most visited photography exhibition to date — interest in Miller’s work continues to grow internationally.
The Lee Miller Archives presents some of her most iconic photographs at Photo London, including Model with Lightbulb(1943) and Corsetry, Solarised Photographs (1942).
The archive was founded after Miller’s son, Antony Penrose, discovered thousands of unseen photographs and documents hidden in the attic of the family home, Farleys, in East Sussex following her death in 1977. Long overshadowed by her later reinvention as a celebrity cook and writer, Miller’s groundbreaking work has since been reclaimed as one of the defining photographic oeuvres of the 20th century.
Jane Evelyn Atwood at In Camera (Paris) and L. Parker Stephenson (New York)
Jane Evelyn Atwood’s photographs are charged with emotional honesty, intimacy and raw sensuality. At Photo London, galleries In Camera and L. Parker Stephenson present striking black-and-white works spanning prison series portraits and evocative Paris street scenes.
Living in Paris since 1971, Atwood has dedicated much of her career to documentary photography focused on marginalised individuals and overlooked communities. Works such as Pigalle People, Rue des Lombards, Paris and Autoportrait Serpent pulse with humanity, desire and vulnerability.
Martin Parr at Rocket Gallery
The late Martin Parr remains one of Britain’s most celebrated photographers, renowned for his sharply observant and often humorous portrayals of modern life. His vivid documentation of British social rituals, seaside culture and class dynamics transformed documentary photography and earned him global acclaim.
Rocket Gallery presents a selection of Parr’s best-known images, including quintessential scenes of afternoon tea, seaside holidays and everyday British eccentricities. The presentation also marks a significant reunion with the gallery that first exhibited his work in 1997.
David Bailey at Camera Eye
Iconic monochrome portraits by David Bailey take centre stage at Camera Eye, alongside copies of his monumental photobook The 1980s. Affectionately known simply as “Bailey”, the photographer revolutionised portraiture from the 1960s onwards through his bold compositions, effortless cool and ability to capture the spirit of his sitters.
At Photo London, portraits of figures including The Rolling Stones, David Hockney and John Lennon feel perfectly suited to Olympia’s soaring, light-filled architecture.
Kincső Bede at TOBE Gallery (Budapest)
The haunting monochrome works of Kincső Bede immediately draw attention at TOBE Gallery. The Romanian artist, who has Hungarian roots and grew up in Transylvania, creates surreal photographic narratives shaped by memory, political history and inherited trauma.
Bede’s practice explores the lingering psychological impact of Romania’s communist past, examining the legacy of dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, the surveillance apparatus of the Securitate, and the ways historical trauma is transmitted across generations.
Founded in 2013, TOBE Gallery has established itself as a leading platform for contemporary photography and photo-based art, championing innovative practices from Hungarian and Ibero-American artists alike.
Photo London 2026 runs at Olympia from 13–17 May 2026. Find more information and tickets here.
