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Photography exhibitions in South Kensington

Discover and explore the best photography exhibitions, events, collections and activities happening here.

V&A Photography Centre

Daily: 10am-5:45pm - Friday: 10am–10pm
V&A
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The Photography Centre at the V&A houses over 600 spellbinding photos including some of the oldest known photographs to modern masters. The Museum began acquiring photographs in 1852, and its collection is now one of the largest and most important in the world.

Cromwell Place - what's on

Daily
Cromwell Place
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Set within five Grade II listed Victorian townhouses in South Kensington, Cromwell Place is one of London’s most exciting arts destinations, offering a year-round programme of diverse exhibitions open to the public across 15 gallery spaces. As a membership organisation and innovative arts hub, it also provides an environment in which galleries, collectors, dealers, curators, and arts professionals can collaborate and flourish together.

The Earthshot Prize

Online
Ismaili Centre
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The most prestigious global environment prize in history has been launched by Prince William with the Aga Khan Development Network as a Founding Partner. The Earthshot Prize aims to encourage large-scale change over the next 10 years — a critical decade for the Earth.

Shooting Stars: How to photograph a night sky

Online
Natural History Museum
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Taking pictures of distant stars is no longer just the work of astronomers. Find out the secret of success for photographing night skies.

Portrait of Melissa Thompson by Kehinde Wiley

Until 26th Oct 2023
10am-5:45pm
V&A
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Nigerian-American artist, Kehinde Wiley is best known for his portraits of people of colour in settings and poses that reference Old Master paintings. Wiley’s portraits replace European figures of power, asking us to consider the power dynamics behind who is represented in these portraits and why.

DIVA

On until 7th April 2024
10am-5:45pm
V&A
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DIVA celebrates the power and creativity of iconic performers, exploring and redefining the role of 'diva' and how this has been subverted or embraced over time across opera, stage, popular music, and film.

Image credit: Naoya Hatakeyama, ‘Blast #5707’, 1998. © Naoya Hatakeyama

Photography Centre

Opens 25th May
V&A
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The Photography Centre is the UK’s largest space dedicated to a permanent photography collection. The newly reopened galleries will showcase the museum’s world-leading holdings and enable visitors to experience photography and its diverse histories in new ways.

How Not to Photograph a Bulldog

25th May- 20th April 2024
10am-5:30pm
V&A
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This book display reveals how dogs have been used to teach photography, and how dog photography has developed as a discipline in its own right.

Between Two Worlds: Vanley Burke and Francis Williams

12th June- 31st December
10am-6pm
V&A
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Explore portraits of two Jamaican gentlemen scholars. Burke's photography and archives, alongside historical artefacts and scientific images shedding new light on the Williams painting, invite reflections on quests for identity and colonial legacies.

Energy: Sparks from the Collection

25th May-20th April 2024
10am-6pm
V&A
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This display shines a light on the diverse kinds of energy in photography, from the hidden processes intrinsic to creating a picture, to the subjects in front of the camera.

Photo Walk: Kensington Gardens

1st Oct
12pm-2pm
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
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Kensington Gardens is wonderful in autumn, a real destination for landscape photography at a time when the trees are changing colour.

Image credit: © Zhai Zeyu, Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

13th Oct- 30th June 2024
10am- 5:50pm
Natural History Museum
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Get beyond the camera and discover the stories behind some of the best nature photography in the world.