Soho Photography Quarter

Photograph of a street, Soho Photography Quarter, showcasing Lisa Barnard's work in London

Soho Photography Quarter

Soho Photography Quarter (SPQ) is an outdoor cultural space for all to enjoy in Ramillies Place, W1, on the doorstep of The Photographers' Gallery. Open-air exhibitions and other events bring you the very best of contemporary photography, for free, all year round.

What's on now

A colour image of a collection of objects scattered across a map laid on a surface. Items include a gas lamp, gold bars and a potted plant among others.

Lisa Barnard: The Canary and The Hammer

8 May 2025 - 31 May 2026 

Gold is often perceived as a safe investment, particularly in times of political turmoil and uncertainty in the economy
- Lisa Barnard

An exploration of the troubled history of gold, our reverence for it and its role in our endless pursuit of progress and wealth.

Gold is everywhere in modern life - a powerful symbol of value, beauty, greed and politics. In The Canary and The Hammer, Lisa Barnard explores the troubled history of gold, our reverence for it and its role in our endless pursuit of progress and wealth.  

Photographed across four years and four continents, the project was prompted by the 2008 financial crisis. Barnard brings together contrasting yet intertwined stories, from ecological destruction and human exploitation in mining, to gold’s importance as an invisible component in medicine and technology.

Discover more

Watch a timelapse of the installation of Siân Davey’s The Garden in Soho Photography Quarter, just outside the Gallery

About Soho Photography Quarter

Developed in partnership with Westminster City Council (WCC) as part of a major project to invigorate the Oxford Street area, Soho Photography Quarter is a dynamic and enticing outdoor space to experience and enjoy world-class photography for free, day and night.

The previously overlooked passageway, which stands at the gateway to Soho, was transformed by Andreas Lechthaler Architecture into a tranquil pedestrianised zone with newly designed seating, ambient lighting, trees and planters to enhance the experience of everyone spending time there or passing through.

Photograph of a street, Soho Photography Quarter, showcasing Lisa Barnard's work in London

About the Programme

The main Soho Photography Quarter (SPQ) programme predominantly focusses on British and international solo artists, showcasing some of the most innovative and dynamic photographic practices today.

From those playing with, or subverting, traditional techniques, to those pushing the boundaries of digital technologies or working with performance and archives, this outdoor space on the Gallery's doorstep is a way to experience artists and their works beyond the Gallery walls.

Each annual presentation features a large-scale art frieze, cross-street banners, moving image projections, soundscapes and other interactive works. Running alongside the main displays, you can experience a rich live and digital programme which illuminate the works on show and the artists behind them. On the corner of our main building, check out the corner screen for a rolling programme of new digital work. 

Explore the Soho Photography Quarter programme in more detail through artist talks, outdoor film screenings, digital commissions, interactive augmented reality projects, performances, workshops and pop-up exhibitions, both right outside the Gallery and online.

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