Photo London's tenth edition, under new director Sophie Parker, opened at Somerset House with a deliberate shift away from its traditional focus on established male photographers and celebrity subjects like Kate Moss. The fair eliminated its 'Master of Photography' award and revived the Positions section for unrepresented artists, featuring Palestinian-American Adam Rouhana and British Indian photographer Kavi Pujara. While the main pavilion still showcased familiar names like Sebastião Salgado, newer galleries reported strong early sales, including a £10,000–£15,000 portrait by Chou Ching Hui sold to a Norwegian museum via Taipei's Chini Gallery, and multiple sales at Amsterdam's Hungry Eye Gallery and Paris's Galerie XII.
This edition matters because it signals a deliberate effort to modernize a major photography fair amid a fluctuating art market affected by tariffs and generative AI concerns. By moving away from predictable content and diversifying its exhibitor base, Photo London is testing whether commercial success can align with broader representation and emerging talent. The fair's tenth anniversary also serves as a bellwether for how photography fairs can adapt to changing collector tastes and institutional expectations.