London – PhotoMonth Festival 2 October – 3 November 2025
PhotoMonth is set to return in 2025 with renewed energy and a broader vision, transforming London’s “E” postcodes into a city-wide celebration of photography. Running from 2 October to 3 November, the relaunched festival will span neighbourhoods from EC1 to SE15—stretching from Kennington to Mile End, Clerkenwell to Deptford and Hackney—and will make use of traditional galleries, alternative spaces, and unusual venues to showcase the full spectrum of photographic practice.
This year’s edition will see collaborations with major institutions including Tate Modern, Whitechapel Gallery, and Autograph ABP, alongside independent venues such as Four Corners, Roman Road, and Danielle Arnaud. Local studios, shops, restaurants, and cafes will also take part, displaying photography that ranges from analogue to digital, reflecting the medium’s evolving forms and enduring relevance.
At the heart of the festival will be its central Hub at the Art Pavilion in Mile End, where a group exhibition titled Longing—selected via Open Call by the Curatorial Advisory Board—will anchor the programme. Acclaimed photographer Zed Nelson will present The Anthropocene Illusion, a solo exhibition addressing humanity’s relationship with the environment. The Pavilion will further showcase new work by recent graduates and academic staff, offering insight into the next generation of photographic talent.
Around 50 pop-up exhibitions will appear across Central, East, and Southeast London, turning neighbourhoods into living galleries. Visitors will be able to explore the full programme with an interactive QR-coded map, and join weekend and walking tours—some at night—led by photographers, curators, and the PhotoMonth team.
A parallel film programme will run at The Source Stratford and Hackney PictureHouse, with screenings that intersect with photographic themes, followed by live Q&A sessions with directors, photographers, and special guests. The Source Stratford will also host a series of special screenings:
Thursday 9 October, 6–9pm – The Wordless Diary by Rod Morris, with an accompanying exhibition of works by Barry Lewis.
Friday 17 October, 6pm – Duane Michals and Arthur Tress, an evening celebrating Michals’ short films and Tress’ feature film Water’s Edge.
Thursday 23 October, 6pm – Northern Soul, presented with Elaine Constantine and Alan Graves.
Thursday 30 October, 6pm – Mother Vera by Alys Tomlinson and Cécile Embleton, marking the final film screening in the Stratford series.
Marking 100 years of the photo booth, PhotoMonth will launch a PhotoBooth Competition in association with AutoFoto. Participants can create portraits in booths at Yorkton Workshops, Whitechapel Gallery, and The Photographers’ Gallery, then share them on Instagram. Winners will be announced on Saturday 25 October.
The festival will open on 2 October with Wonderland – The Joy of Analogue at Yorkton Studios, Hackney, a major exhibition featuring giant polaroids, platinum, and silver gelatin prints. Portraits by renowned artists including Mary Ellen Mark, Sandra Lousada, Brian Griffin, David Bailey, Herb Ritts, John Claridge, Joel Peter-Witkin, and Eve Arnold will be shown alongside works from anonymous sitters.
Other highlights include Seamus Murphy’s Strange Love at Gallery 46 in Whitechapel, Angela Chalmers’ cyanotype series Adam and Eve at St Anne’s Church in Limehouse, and Tom Hunter’s Places of Prayer, created with a pinhole camera.
Through its Exhibition Submission programme, PhotoMonth 2025 invites proposals for solo and group shows in pop-ups and chosen venues, encouraging projects that provoke conversation, foster community engagement, and reflect photography’s role in today’s shifting world.
Founded in 2001 by Maggie Pinhorn, Director of Alternative Arts, PhotoMonth established itself as a vital and democratic space for photography in London’s East End before pausing in 2018. The 2025 relaunch builds on this legacy, reimagined and expanded by a new team committed to platforming photography across today’s social, artistic, and technological landscapes.
To book your ticket for screenings at The Source, visit: thesource-stratford.co.uk
For more information about the Festival visit: https://photomonth.co.uk/