Photo London’s director on finding a wider frame beneath Olympia’s vaulted ceiling 

Photography has long lived in the curved iron bones of the Olympia. In 1957, the west London events venue hosted the biannual Photo Fair in which amateurs and professionals gathered eagerly for expert lectures and photography demonstrations under the Victorian barrel-vaulted roof. It was an early sign that London would become a major international hub for photography. Now Photo London, which runs from 14-17 May, will take place under the same historic ceiling and become its first artistic tenant since the exhibition hall underwent a five-year redevelopment by British firm Heatherwick Studio. 

A global meeting point for established and emerging collectors, artists and institutions, Photo London has built a reputation as the launchpad for works that find their way to major museum exhibitions. The fair marks its move from a 10-year stint at Somerset House with a rare public exhibition by Steven Meisel, the 2026 recipient of Photo London’s prestigious Master of Photography award.

Here, Monocle meets Sophie Parker, Photo London’s director, at the new venue to find out what Olympia’s expanded footprint will provide, as well as her highlights from this year’s programme of more than 100 galleries.

What can visitors expect from the fair’s 11th iteration?
It will have the bones of the photo fair that visitors know and love but boosted. I want it to feel like we have graduated. Whereas the fair in Somerset House was spread out across the interior galleries and the courtyard, at Olympia everything will be under one roof and should feel like a cohesive whole. After a wonderful decade at Somerset House, it felt like the right time to take things to the next level. I describe the vaulted roof of the National Hall as resembling Paris’s Grand Palais but on a more manageable scale.

Why did you choose Olympia as the next venue for Photo London?
The new redevelopment here has been conceived to host arts and culture fairs and Photo London is the first to do so. It’s nice to get in at the beginning and champion new ideas at existing venues. There’s also a lot of history here – Thomas Heatherwick has added his own architectural spin on this industrial building, which feels exactly like what we try to do at Photo London: mixing the contemporary with the historical. There’s a real sense of grandeur when you walk into Olympia.

What kind of programme can visitors expect this year?
The new venue has attracted both returning exhibitors and first-time participants, some of whom we’ve been trying to lure to the fair for years. I’m particularly excited about Galerie Julian Sander in Cologne and Miyako Yoshinaga in New York attending. We’ve been able to make use of every single square metre here and reconfigure the booths’ positions to include 10 unrepresented artists, giving them a platform alongside established commercial galleries. We’ll also have an art film screening room for the first time. Like us, galleries seem to feel re-energised by the move.

How are you engaging young collectors?
The 2026 Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report states that the number of transactions is on the up but their value is lower, which is perfect for collectors starting out. We have a programme called the Young Collectors Circle, which is dedicated to demystifying the art market so that younger collectors understand where the value comes from and realise that photography absolutely belongs in contemporary art collections. The art world can be intimidating, and Photo London is a good opportunity to engage with these galleries.

What to see at Photo London

Flowers Gallery
Established in London in 1970, contemporary art and mixed media gallery Flowers is a long-standing exhibitor at Photo London. This year, Flowers will spotlight a selection of photographs of Western Australia by Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky. Expect large-scale landscapes capturing the world’s evolving biodiversity and possible destruction through colourful tableaux which feel both captivating and haunting.

Large Glass
Returning to Photo London after a few years away, commercial art gallery Large Glass brings a solo presentation by Swiss-French architectural photographer Hélène Binet. Known for working with film, Binet’s black-and-white oeuvre uses detailed crops to capture the essence of the work of some of the world’s most respected architects, including Zaha Hadid, Daniel Libeskind and Peter Zumthor.

10 14 Gallery
To mark its inaugural participation, 10 14 Gallery will be exhibiting London-based artists of note from the first five years of its programming. This includes works by Vivek Vadoliya, who uses a warm lens to intimately document the nuances of his British-Gujarati identity.