Fotografiska Abandons Plans for Massive London Outpost, Citing Pandemic ‘Uncertainty’

Fotografiska in Stockholm. Max Plunger/Courtesy Fotografiska

Fotografiska, a photography museum based in Stockholm with outposts in New York and Tallinn, Estonia, has canceled plans for a space in London due to concerns surrounding the pandemic and Brexit. The Art Newspaper first reported the news.

The institution’s London outpost was set to open this year, taking up 89,000 square feet in the city’s new Whitechapel Building. In addition to its Stockholm location, Fotografiska plans to open a Berlin space in 2022.

“Fotografiska London Ltd / AB, the investment group seeking to develop a Fotografiska Museum in the UK capital has ended its effort to open at the Whitechapel Road location,” a statement on Fotografiska’s website reads. “Uncertainty around Brexit, coupled with current Covid-19 concerns, has made it untenable for the London-based licensee to establish a franchise at this time. Fotografiska International sees London as a leading cultural city, and will now evaluate opportunities in London directly in conjunction with real estate partners.”

Among the world’s largest photography museums, Fotografiska in Stockholm, which was founded in 2010, stages between 20 and 25 large-scale exhibitions per year and attracts some 500,000 visitors per year. Part of its mission is “inspiring a more conscious world” through its photography exhibitions and programming.

The institution’s New York outpost, which opened in late last year, is currently showing exhibitions of work by Naima Green, Martin Schoeller, Julie Blackmon, and others. The museum spans six-floors of the historic Church Missions House on Park Avenue in the city’s Flatiron neighborhood.

In addition to an exhibition program, Fotografiska’s forthcoming Berlin space will partner with local photography schools and offer studio space to students.

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