As Photo London enters a new chapter at Olympia, Positions returns as a dedicated platform for artists without gallery representation, bringing new voices in contemporary photography into direct dialogue with collectors, curators and institutions.
Curated by Maria Sukkar, Positions was introduced to support unrepresented photographic talent within a serious curatorial framework. For its 2026 edition, the section expands at Olympia, offering artists greater visibility at a pivotal stage in their careers.
Reflecting on the purpose of the section, Sukkar describes Positions as “a space where important careers begin, where risk is embraced and where photography is presented with seriousness and generosity.” Her curatorial approach foregrounds artists working across image-making, material process, landscape, ritual, memory and identity, revealing the breadth of contemporary photographic practice today.
Positions is supported by Julius Baer, whose long-standing engagement with the visual arts reflects a shared commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for artists.
Featured artists in Positions
This year’s presentation brings together ten artists whose practices expand the possibilities of photography.
Maurizio Anzeri, the Italian-born, London-based artist, works across photography, sculpture, drawing and traditional craft techniques. Often reworking portraiture through embroidery, thread and synthetic hair, his practice brings image, object and surface into close relation.
Barbara Ayozie Fu Safira, based in London, approaches photography as a form of communion rather than capture. Working with analogue process and a deliberately soft visual language, her presentation explores identity, memory and spiritual continuity.
Fyodor Pavlov-Andreevich, who works between London and Rio de Janeiro, brings together performance, sculpture, photography, film and installation. His lenticular works ask the viewer to move physically in relation to the image, making perception part of the work itself.
Leslie Hakim-Dowek works across photography, archival material and creative writing, often shaped by questions of war, wilderness, migration and memory. In Twilight Island, volcanic landscapes and sites of leisure become a setting for reflection on nature, time and generational change.
Wara Vargas Lara, a Bolivian photographer, focuses on women, ritual and shifting identities in Bolivia. Her project AJAYU: The Art of Healing explores ancestral healing traditions in the high Andes through the lives of Kallawaya healers, midwives and herbalists.
Nadim Asfar works across photography, video and installation, with a practice shaped by observation, movement and the relationship between body, space and image. His work ranges from camera-less photograms to long-running studies of landscape and urban life.
Hicham Gardaf, born in Tangier and based in London, works across photography and moving image. His series The Red Square explores the relationship between painting, photography and architecture through suburban facades on the outskirts of Tangier.
Tahmineh Monzavi, an Iranian artist, works across documentary and staged photography, often centring women and marginalised communities. Her project Iran Gen Z focuses on young women across Iran, tracing everyday life, resistance and social change.
Shayan Sajadian, born in Shiraz and trained in architecture in Tehran, uses photography to examine marginalised communities in Iran. His work pays close attention to lived experience, place and the realities faced by those on the edges of society.
Luis Casadevall, a Spanish photographer, previously worked in advertising before turning fully to photography. Over the past decade, he has built an extensive body of work in Havana, using portraiture and observation to explore presence, identity and emotional truth.
Supported by Julius Baer
Julius Baer International is proud to support Positions at Photo London.
“Our deep-rooted engagement with the visual arts dates back to 1981, and we are passionate about creating opportunities for artists through meaningful platforms.”
Barbara Staubli
Head of Art Collection, Julius Baer
Positions offers a distinct perspective on contemporary photographic practice, bringing together artists whose work moves across image-making, performance, materiality, landscape, ritual and memory.
Encounter Positions at Photo London, 13–17 May 2026 at Olympia London.
