The World Photography Organisation and founders of Photo London have announced a new partnership that will bring together the two leading global photography organizations with aims to develop the cultural enrichment of the photographic medium.
This partnership follows the recent 25% stake acquisition of Photo London obtained by the global platform that is the World Photography Organisation (World Photography Awards Limited), organizers of the World Photography Awards.
For those unfamiliar, Photo London is an international photography art fair held annually at Somerset House, London. The fair is expected to return again this year from 12-15 May 2022 for its seventh edition and will showcase the finest international photography plus historic as well as emerging talent and vintage works. The Guardian described last year's fair as "The UK Photography event of the year".
The World Photography Organisation is a global photography platform offering expertise, programming and competition initiatives that provide valuable opportunities while broadening conversations surrounding artist work. Events hosted by the WPO include the Sony World Photography Awards, PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai, and now the newly acquired fraction of Photo London. Like Photo London, the World Photography Awards have been exhibited annually at London's Somerset House.
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The recently announced partnership between both of these leading organizations supposedly has aims to create a program of curated content, with presentations across PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai as well as Photo London highlighting the emerging talents in both regions. Further developing the contemporary photography art market through shared resources appears to be the top priority for these organizations.
Photo London is renowned for hosting an array of noted international galleries and photography dealers with an acclaimed public program of exhibitions and talks, certainly a valuable addition to the roster of the WPO. Scott Gray , Founder and CEO, World Photography Organisation has shared that:
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"We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Photo London. After many years of working alongside each other as respected industry peers, we look forward to cooperating with Photo London in this new framework to develop existing and future opportunities. This collaboration will further the reach of the fair through our network in Asia whilst also widening the scope for Asian artists and galleries to showcase in Europe."
Founders of Photo London, Michael Benson and Fariba Farshad, explain how the partnership came into practice, "We have been humbled by the wide-spread support we have received from the photography community over the last two incredibly difficult years. During this time it became clear to us that we had a responsibility to the diverse range constituencies that support the Fair to devise a plan to strengthen what is an important and much loved cultural asset."
They continue, "this partnership with our long term collaborators the World Photography Organisation feels like exactly the right fit...Together we are the world’s largest organisation dedicated to photography. We now have a great platform from which to build in many new and exciting ways."
Exciting developments in the field of photography and organizations allow for us to experience the best that current practitioners and photographers all over the globe have to offer while celebrating the cultural heritage of the practice. Be sure to visit this year's Photo London photography fair in May 2022 and check out their website for a virtual visit of fairs from previous years.
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