Photo London 2024 Talks | Fri 17 May

The 2024 Talks Programme promises a strong line-up of speakers for its ninth edition. Curated by Thames & Hudson, with contributions from Photo London partners Nikon and FT Weekend, this year is free of charge to ticket holders.

The popular Talks Programme provides listeners with unique insights from some of the world’s most exciting voices in the medium. Expect to hear lively talks, dynamic debates and in-depth discussions to broaden and deepen your understanding of photography.

Talks tickets do not include admission to the Fair. You must purchase a Day Pass ticket for the same day as the talk is taking place. Talks are in The Screening Room (South Wing via Embankment) and each event has a limited capacity, so we advise arriving five minutes before the scheduled start time to avoid disappointment. Please note that latecomers may only be admitted at the discretion of Visitor Experience staff in a suitable break.

14.00 - 15.00
THE ANONYMOUS PROJECT: LEE SHULMAN AND OMAR VICTOR DIOP IN CONVERSATION WITH TAOUS DAHMANI
Join Lee Shulman / The Anonymous Project archive, Senegalese photographer Omar Victor Diop, and art historian and curator, Taous Dahmani, in their discussion on the collaborative project, Being There; a series which questions photographic archetypes and the foundations of our contemporary society.

15.30  - 16.30
Art Collection Deutsche Börse presents: SEE/CHANGE – VISION AND PRACTICE
In 2024, the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its permanent collection, the Art Collection Deutsche Börse. The exhibition See/Change at Somerset House spotlights ten artistic positions from the Collection, drawn from recent acquisitions that critically reflect on poignant matters of our times. Collectively and individually, the exhibited artists explore core questions of identity, freedom and visibility, especially the representation of socially marginalised and prejudiced communities, as seen in the cosmos of young women and girls in Turkey’s Koran schools in Sabiha Çimen's colour works, or the lived experience of Eritrean migrants in Aida Silvestri’s mixed media portraits. 

This illustrated talk features curators Anne-Marie Beckmann and Renée Mussai, who will introduce the exhibition and collection, in dialogue with artists Sabiha Çimen and Aida Silvestri, both represented in See/Change.  They will engage in an open, informal conversation about the medium of photography and the artists’ respective practice to highlight urgent socio-political and cultural issues, spotlighting the experience of different communities, and how their artmaking is linked to a profound commitment to social change and visual activism. 

17.00 - 18.00
Thames & Hudson presents: THE AFRICAN GAZE: PHOTOGRAPHY, CINEMA AND POWER
Writer, independent researcher, and collector-archivist Amy Sall on African photography and cinema, from the mid-20th century to contemporary.