A Major Cultural Moment: London Lives at Photo London 2025

The Soul of a City in 30 Visions: London Lives at Somerset House

To mark the tenth edition of Photo London, we are proud to present London Lives — a landmark exhibition that brings together over 30 of the most celebrated and innovative image-makers to have captured and reshaped the visual identity of the capital.

Curated by leading critic and author Francis Hodgson, this ambitious presentation occupies both Embankment East and West Galleries of Somerset House. It is at once a love letter to London and a provocation — reflecting the city’s complexities, contradictions, and relentless creative energy.

The exhibition includes iconic works by David Bailey, James Barnor, Nadav Kander, Joy Gregory, Mary McCartney, Christian Marclay, Hannah Starkey, Jamie Hawkesworth, and Nick Knight, alongside new commissions from Heather Agyepong, Jermaine Francis and Hannah Hughes — whose work will also feature exclusively in FT Weekend Magazine as part of our longstanding partnership with the Financial Times.

From conceptual abstraction to street-level immediacy, London Lives reveals the many layers of this global city — its histories and futures, its everyday rituals and fleeting drama. Whether through the cinematic intensity of Julia Fullerton Batten, the quiet grandeur of Simon Roberts, or the tactile materiality of Antony Cairns, this is London as seen through a truly international lens.

Francis Hodgson writes:
“Photo London is not a virtual fair, anywhere. Its participants – photographers, publishers, galleries and the rest – come from all over the world and have turned their eyes on every part of it… But it remains a London fair, anchored in its host city. So we thought for the anniversary we’d celebrate London and what people get up to there. Call it a melting-pot if you want; but we simply call it ‘London Lives’. The more the merrier.”

Exhibiting Artists Include:

Heather Agyepong, Miles Aldridge, David Bailey, James Barnor, Rut Blees Luxemburg, Antony Cairns, Ed Clark, Susan Derges, Jermaine Francis, Julia Fullerton Batten, Lydia Goldblatt, Joy Gregory, Jamie Hawkesworth, Hannah Hughes, Tom Hunter, Nadav Kander, Idris Khan, Nick Knight, Karen Knorr, Chrystel Lebas, Tom Lovelace, Christian Marclay, Mary McCartney, Simon Roberts, Ewen Spencer, Hannah Starkey, Mitra Tabrizian, Alys Tomlinson, Nick Turpin.

Experience Photo London 2025

London Lives is the centrepiece of what promises to be our most ambitious edition to date — a four-day celebration of photography in all its forms, with presentations from the world’s leading galleries, thought-provoking talks, book signings, and rare works available to acquire.

Whether you are a collector, curator, critic, or connoisseur, Photo London 2025 offers a singular opportunity to engage with the very best in contemporary and classic photography — all from the heart of the city that inspires it.

Book your tickets now
Access the exclusive Preview Day (14 May) with VIP and Early Access passes

Join us this May and see London — and photography — in a new light.