In central London and ready to snap?
If you’re finding the bustle of Oxford Street too much, dart between the buildings on Ramillies Street and spend an hour or two in The Photographers’ Gallery.
The gallery was first opened in 1971 and was the UK’s first space dedicated entirely to the medium of photography. Now in its second home – opened in 2012 in an old textiles warehouse – it has established itself as instrumental for promoting photography as a significant art form.
Set over multiple floors, The Photographers’ Gallery offers three exhibition spaces, an education and learning studio, a café (thank the lord) and a print sales gallery which, unlike lots of public galleries, hosts free exhibitions in which the pieces can be purchased – an integral part of supporting both the gallery and its artists since its foundation.
© Ernest Cole / Magnum Photos
The Photographers Gallery doesn’t house a permanent collection, but instead stages a rolling programme of visiting exhibitions, as well as talks, courses and events. Currently you can see Ernest Cole: House of Bondage, showcasing over 100 photographs taken from the seminal project by Ernest Cole documenting Black lives under apartheid in South Africa; Meditations on Love a guest exhibition curated for the gallery by Develop Collective that brings together images capturing love in all its forms; and Graciela Iturbide: Shadowlines, poetic images from the Mexican photographer, who captured indigenous life with an astounding understanding of light and shadow.
Outside, meanwhile, you can check out the Soho Photography Quarter, an old alleyway that’s been revamped as a kind of free al fresco gallery space, with a changing line-up of large-scale prints hung across its walls.
It’s all pretty flash.
NOTE: The Photographers Gallery is open daily 10am-6pm (11am Sun), with late openings till 8pm on Thursdays & Fridays. There is an admission fee of £8 (£6.50 if you book in advance online), which gives you access to all the exhibitions. Entry is free on Fridays after 5pm. To find out more, head here.
The Photographers Gallery | 16-18 Ramillies Street, Soho, W1F 7LW
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