When it comes to art exhibitions and museums in London Town, we’re more than spoiled for choice. In fact, we’d go as far to say that our dear city has some of the best museums in the world. But we can also confirm that we’re not doing too badly on the photography exhibitions front either. With artists and communities from all over the world being represented, London no doubt is the forefront for inclusivity and diversity when it comes to showcasing art. From documentary portraits capturing Britain in the ’60s, to exploring humanity’s impact on Earth or historical war-time material, here’s our rundown of the best photography exhibitions in London to explore.
1. Capturing the Moment, Tate Modern
The arrival of photography changed the course of painting forever. In this unique exhibition, you’ll be able to explore the dynamic relationship between the two mediums through some of the most iconic artworks of recent times. From the expressive paintings of Pablo Picasso and Paula Rego, to striking photographs by Hiroshi Sugimoto and Jeff Wall, you’ll see how these two distinct mediums have helped to shape each other over time at this photography exhibition, based in the Tate Modern.
📍 Bankside, London, SE1 9TG.
🚇 Nearest station is Blackfriars.
📅 Runs until April 28, 2024.
🎟️ From £20.
2. Yannis Davy Guibinga: Children of Distant Suns, Doyle Wham
This is the first UK solo exhibition of Yannis Davy Guibinga, a celebrated photographer from Libreville, Gabon, who is currently based in Montreal, Canada. His new exhibition, Children of Distant Suns, is a collection of visual stories that draws inspiration from folklore and mythology to create a fictional location called ‘Shira Island.’ Guibinga also draws biblical references to present how myths have a “global resonance and relevance that transcends their geographical and cultural origins – with the same themes and figures recurring under different names.”
📍 91A Rivington St, London EC2A 3AY
🚇 Nearest station is Old Street and Shoreditch High Street.
📅 Runs until March 23, 2024
🎟️ Free
3. Zineb Sedira, Whitechapel Gallery
Zineb Sedira’s Dreams Have No Titles addresses the turning point in the history of cultural and avant-garde production in the ’60s and ’70s in countries such as France, Italy and Algeria. Sedira blurs the boundaries between fiction and reality with the use of cinema and performance to foreground the importance of “collective shared experiences” while also aiming to raise a word of caution about “the failure of the emancipatory dream,” a promise which for many people remains an unfulfilled dream. Originally a film, the Gallery space will be turned into a series of film sets.
📍 77-82 Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX,
🚇 Nearest station is Aldgate East.
📅 Runs from February 15 – May 12, 2024.
🎟️ From £12.50.
4. BURTYNSKY: Extraction/Abstraction, Saatchi Gallery
Edward Burtynsky’s work titled BURTYNSKY: Extraction/Abstraction his largest collection to date, comprising 94 large-format photos, 13 murals, and augmented reality. The exhibition explores humanity’s impact on Earth and includes a multimedia experience, encouraging viewers to reflect on sustainability and highlights organisations working towards it.
📍 Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Rd, London SW3 4RY
🚇 Nearest station is Sloane Square.
📅 Runs from February 14 – May 6, 2024.
🎟️ From £10.
6. Nick Waplinton’s Living Room, Hamiltons Gallery
Nick Waplington’s debut exhibition is set to showcase a set of unseen images and new works from his iconic series ‘Living Room’ in 1991. Originally published in 1991, the book featured 59 photographs of the lives of Nick’s friends, families, neighbours on the Broxtowe housing estate in Nottingham, where Waplington spent many years creating thousands of photographs. With the new work following the same sequence of landscape and portrait images – there will be a new set of 59 unseen photos replacing the original taken from the same roll of film.
📍 Hamiltons Gallery, 13 Carlos Place, W1K 2EU.
🚇 Nearest station is Bond Street.
📅 Runs until May 25, 2024.
🎟️ Free.
7. And the Winner is…, 45 Park Lane
To celebrate awards season, iconic celebrity photographer Andy Gotts has curated a new exhibition exclusively for 45 Park Lane. Drawn from across 30 years of his work, these are his favourite portraits of accolade-winning actors Robert Di Niro, Rami Malek, Olivia Coleman… you name it.
📍 45 Park Lane, W1K 1PN.
🚇 Nearest stations is Green Park.
📅 Runs until May 16, 2024.
🎟️ Free.
8. Soulscapes, Dulwich Picture Gallery
Presenting work from the African Diaspora, the exhibition seeks to redefine landscape art through contemporary perspectives, featuring over 30 works including large-scale pieces and a site specific installation.The works span painting, photography, film, textile and collage from leading artists including Hurvin Anderson, Phoebe Boswell, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Kimathi Donkor, Isaac Julien, Marcia Michael, Mónica de Miranda and Alberta Whittle.
📍London, SE21 7AD.
🚇 Nearest station is West Dulwich.
📅 Runs from February 14 – June 2, 2024.
🎟️ £17.50.
9. Zanele Muholi, Tate Modern
Zanele Muholi is easily one of the most critically acclaimed photographers today and this June, with over 260 photographs on display, this exhibition presents the full breadth of their career to date. Muholi presents them selves as a visual artist who has documented and celebrated the lives of South Africa’s Black lesbian, gay, trans, queer and intersex communities. Most of their work captures moments of love, intimacy, addresses issues of oppression and discrimination and empowers non-binary people and trans women.
📍 Bankside, SE1 9TG.
🚇 Nearest station is Blackfriars.
📅 Opens from June 6, 2024.
🎟️ £18.
10. Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection, The V&A
The V&A will showcase 300 never-seen-before prints from 140 photographers taken from Sir Elton John and David Furnish’s private art collection. The exhibition hopes to tell the story of modern and contemporary photography across a variety of subjects such as fashion, celebrity, reportage and the male body.
📍 Cromwell Rd, London SW7 2RL.
🚇 Nearest station is South Kensington.
📅 Opens from July 18, 2024.
🎟️ Tickets available soon.
So there you have it – a roundup of the best photography exhibitions in London to look forward to in 2024. So what are you waiting for culture vultures? Get out and there and get inspired!