Belmond launches annual photographic residency and new series of art books at Photo London 2024

Belmond is proud to be Presenting Partner of Photo London 2024, a continuation of last year’s partnership that saw the exhibition Fotografía Maroma. This year’s partnership reflects the brand’s ongoing commitment to contemporary travel photography – the most notable example to date being the global Belmond Legends campaign, which saw original commissions from artists including Durimel, Coco Capitán, Jack Davison, Jeano Edwards, Letizia Le Fur, François Halard, Rosie Marks, Chris Rhodes and Thomas Rousset.  

Photo London 2024 sees Belmond evolve the brand’s commitment to photography into an ongoing initiative with the announcement of the Belmond Photographic Residency – an annual jury-led award supporting emerging photographic talent. To mark the occasion, Belmond is also launching a series of limited-edition art books created in partnership with artists from the Belmond Legends campaign.    

Featuring photographers Coco Capitán, Rosie Marks and Letizia Le Fur, the books are being produced by renowned Parisian art publishers RVB Books and consider new perspectives of travel and culture; exploring ideas beyond the traditional documentation of places. An associated exhibition will translate the artists’ respective books into an exhibition experience that captures their distinctive points of view, featuring never-before seen work.   

From art books to exhibition to Residency, each component of Belmond’s activities this year reflects a deep belief in and commitment to the art of travel. Through these ongoing exchanges with artists, the brand seeks to highlight the power of adventure – experiences that can inspire, challenge and leave a lasting impact on each of us. 

BELMOND PHOTOGRAPHIC RESIDENCY 

The Belmond Photographic Residency extends the brand’s focus on contemporary photography into a meaningful commitment to an emerging generation of photographic talent. It will become the mainstay of Belmond’s annual cultural calendar, giving rise to a new book and exhibition for each year’s winner.  

The Residency is awarded to artists whose creative vision reflects a contemporary perspective of travel photography and who exhibit a distinctive artistic language. The measure of success will reflect different photographic themes (such as aesthetic, subject or composition) to be defined by a global jury of experts:  

• Simon Baker: Director, Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP). Baker has been Director of Paris’ prestigious MEP since 2018 and was previously the first curator of photography at Tate (where he rose to Senior Curator of International Art).

• Carla Sozzani: Gallerist, editor and founder of Fondazione Sozzani. The former fashion editor and art collector founded 10 Corso Como in 1990 and has since built the brand into one of the most respected exhibition spaces and concept stores in the world.  

• Ekow Eshun: Writer and curator. Having curated the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square and major shows at the National Portrait Gallery, Eshun is a powerful voice in British art. He regularly appears on radio, TV and print, contributing to varied cultural topics. 

• Coco Capitán: Photographer. Known for her playful eye and hand-scrawled musing, Capitán is one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary photography – whether that’s in commercial campaigns for the likes of Gucci or personal publishing projects. 

• Antwaun Sargent: Writer and curator. New York based Sargent is part of a new wave of curators representing previously underrepresented voices and generations in art, writing prolifically for publications including the New York Times. 

• Matthieu Charon: Co-Founder, RVB Books. Parisian publishers RVB are one of the most respected photobook producers in the world, and Belmond’s collaborator on the new ‘As Seen By’ book series. 

• Arnaud Champenois, Senior Vice President Global Brand & Marketing, Belmond. Champenois leads Belmond’s cultural projects, including the ‘Belmond Legends’ photography series, ‘As Seen By’ art book collection, and international art initiative, MITICO. 

The work submitted will demonstrate a singularly artistic point of view on a destination.   

Via a newly unveiled website residency.belmond.com, the residency is open to all nationalities and ages, with the requirement being that the talent is not yet or has not been represented by an agent or gallery. The jury will focus on supporting future perspectives of travel photography and visionary artistic talent. 

AWARD AND PROCESS 

The Residency will offer the winner: 

• A financial award 

• An all expenses covered residency at a Belmond location 

• A publication in partnership with RVB Books  

• A showcase in a global city 

• Mentorship from Belmond’s global network of photographic experts 

• Runner-up prizes to be announced 

Candidates will be sourced from both jury-nominated and open call submissions. Specialists and experts in the field of photography will be invited to select a small number of photographers from their own region, as well as an open call submission partnership with leading global photographic institutions. Artists will be invited to submit either a new or existing body of work – the specific details of which are to be announced at Photo London. Further application information to be shared in due course. 

PHOTO LONDON EXHIBTION 

Belmond is Photo London’s lead sponsor this year, taking over the second largest gallery space at Somerset House: the Portico Rooms. This space will present three new photographic books from photographers Coco Capitán, Rosie Marks and Letizia Le Fur, combining their unique perspective on Belmond destinations with personal work exploring contemporary travel photography.   

This new body of work has been shot at three diverse locations: Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town (Rosie Marks), the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express in Europe (Coco Capitán) and the hotel Caruso on Italy’s Amalfi Coast (Letizia Le Fur). Alongside the books, Belmond is working with creative director Dani Matthews (Paris-based agency 20xx) to curate the exhibition featuring artwork from the books. In the year that Valérie Belin takes the prestigious Master of Photography position at Photo London, Belmond is proud to present a creative endeavour led by and celebrating female creatives.   

Each of the three artists’ expression and approach is unique, and the diversity of work reflects not only their singular lens, but their personal fascinations with travel and the Belmond destinations they document. These new commissions push us to collectively be open to the ever-evolving possibilities of artistic photography as a vehicle to share meaningful experiences of travel. 

ART BOOKS 

The three books launched at Photo London mark the start of an ongoing collectible art book series, which will define Belmond’s annual publishing calendar. Working with renowned Parisian art publishers RVB Books, each edition presents a singular interpretation of a Belmond destination. This series of independent publications is being led by RVB Books in collaboration with the photographer and creative director Dani Matthews (Paris-based agency 20xx). The books are available for sale through RVB Books international distribution network of premium bookstores and galleries, as well as online. 

ARTIST BIOS 

COCO CAPITÁN 

Coco Capitán was born in Seville, Spain and is currently based in London, where she completed her MA Master of Fine Arts with honours in the field of Photography at the Royal College of Art, London, in 2016. Coco Capitán’s acutely intimate and emotive portraits capture the subtlety of human gestures and spontaneous moments that manifest in her poetic and narrative-driven imagery. Her art practice straddles the fine art and commercial art worlds, and includes photography, painting, and prose. 

ROSIE MARKS 

British Photographer Rosie Marks (b. London, 1993) documents subjects as they focus on their day-to-day lives. Her subjects are engrossed in their worlds, her fascination with them sometimes left unrequited. Marks’ voyeuristic eye allows for the absence of sentimentality, giving her the ability to capture the oddities of human behaviour. Marks’ work takes place in scenarios where people are their most free and individualistic - teenagers at prom, couples on holiday or people at home.   

Marks personal work to date is a human study; at times a reaction against the self-awareness we now have with cameras, seeking genuine moments of the everyday; and other times an honest document of the daily experiences of individuals and their quest to find meaning in their lives.   

Marks at her purest finds beauty, awkwardness, and vibrancy in the lives and rituals of strangers. 

LETIZIA LE FUR 

French photographer Letizia Le fur graduated from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in France in 1998 and first trained as a painter. With the encouragement of artist and teacher Valérie Belin, she soon shifted to photography. Her work centres on the depiction of beauty and the representation of a fantasized otherworld. Her fascination with Greek mythology has led her to reflect on the place of humanity in our primal environment.