The iconic Somerset House is situated on the south side of the Strand, overlooking the River Thames. 

The land was originally owned by the Duke of Somerset and the Georgian era house and quadrangle were built on the site of a Tudor Place, named the “Old Somerset House”. The present house was designed and started by Sir William Chambers between 1776, with further additions added in the mid 1800’s during the Victorian era.

Present day Somerset House focuses on creative community and cultural education, showing that entertainment can be enriching. It operates as a working arts centre in one of the most beautiful courtyards in Europe.

Photo London is back again this year and it offers Londoners the opportunity to “explore, discover and collect some of the world’s most exquisite photographic artworks”. 

The art highlights include solo presentations from:

Michael Subotzky, a South African artist whose installations, film, video and photographic work have been shown widely in museums and galleries all over the world. 

Melanie Manchot, a London based visual artist whose projects often explore the ideas of individual and collective identities around a specific location or public space.

Hannah Hughes, a British artist who works primarily with collage, photography and sculpture. She has been published in a number of high profile art magazines and is also featured in the publication ‘Look At This If You Love Great Photography: A Critical Curation Of 100 Essential Photos’ by Gemma Padley. 

Marianne Maric, a French artist who focuses on photography representing the body as architecture and playing with symbolism. She regularly uses her close friends as subjects and her favourite artistic period is Surrealism. 

Edward Burtynsky, a Canadian photographer and artist known for his industrial landscapes in large format.

Celebrating the photobook, there are also a number of London publishers who will join in the festivities, along with publishing houses from New York. Additionally there is a special focus on galleries from China to mark the partnership with the World Photography Organisation and PHOTOFAIRS China. 

Whatever your taste in art and photography, there is sure to be something interesting to see and discover to start or add to your collection. The exhibition is on from the 11th to the 15th of May.