http://www.bjp-online.com/public/sho...ml?page=836258

Photo-London canceled once again

Reed Expositions has pulled the plug on one of the centre-pieces to the UK's photographic calendar, BJP can reveal.

After it was canceled last year due to the US economic crisis, the Photo-London art fair has again fallen victim to the worldwide financial woes. Speaking exclusively to BJP, Guillaume Piens, director of Paris Photo, says that Photo-London will not be organised this year, and might not even make a comeback in the near future.

'London is in a sinister state,' Piens says. 'It would be crazy to organise a photographic art fair there in the current economic climate. Both New York and London have been severely affected by the crisis, so we've put Photo-London on hold for the moment.'

Launched in 2005 by Daniel Newburg, who is also director of Artandphotographs gallery, Photo-London changed hands in 2007 when Reed Expositions purchased the art fair in a bid to create a British equivalent to its flagship event – Paris-Photo.

Last year, Reed Expositions cancelled the London event citing bolder ambitions to transform the fair for 2009. 'Paris-Photo is a successful fair, but we have the feeling that there is still a lot to do to create a similar kind of event in London,' Piens told BJP at the time. 'It was a difficult decision to make, of course, but we discussed it with galleries such as Hamiltons (in Mayfair). They agreed with us and realised that [it] did not correspond to their own ambitions.'

Now, Reed Expositions has given up on the event for the near future. 'It's on hold, and we will reassess later on depending on the economic situation. However, I can tell you that we are looking to expand in other regions, particularly in the Middle East,' Piens adds.

'We see more potential for development in that region,' he says. 'It's a more dynamic region and is expected to become a central point in the art community, so that's where we will be looking to develop our events.'

Reed Expositions has already started working towards that goal. This year's Paris-Photo will be dedicated to Arabian and Persian photography. It will take place on 19-22 November 2009.