NXT: Fair Director
Sophie Parker was refreshingly honest and shared practical tips and some of her early career setbacks. It was inspiring to hear how she found her own way and is now Director of a leading art fair, Photo London.
Our favourite takeaway from Sophie was:
“Keep your experiences varied and don’t be honed in on a goal. I've got absolutely no idea where I want to be in five years. I've kind of just adapted, pivoted, taken on what I can… Also variety is good in terms of becoming a more well-rounded, interesting person.”
See below for her career journey and practical insight on her year-round responsibilities.
Education
Failing her A-Levels switched up Sophie’s path from psychology to an Art Foundation, where she found a love of the darkroom and photography. When she missed out on a place at Chelsea to study Fine Art, she realised what she really enjoyed was the history of art and understanding other people's practices. Through clearing, she enrolled in History of Art and Design at Manchester Metropolitan University. Here, she developed an interest in anthropology and the way photography can be used to document social change.
She initially planned to stay at Manchester for postgraduate study, but her lecturers encouraged her to leave and experience something new. Sophie got an unconditional place at Goldsmiths to study Anthropology and Cultural Politics.
Sophie gained experience along the way:
“I was never someone that was able to work for free. So it did involve me at times going from London back to the north, living with my parents for a while and getting work at the restaurant I used to work at.”
Landing her first Photo London job
Sophie developed the sales language around edition works from her time at Cristea Roberts Gallery and worked with the gallery at a fair. “I had a perspective of a gallery—what a gallery wanted when doing an art fair and how galleries saw art fairs being successful.”
She understood that success at a fair wasn’t just about making sales — connecting with institutions and collectors was just as important. She carried this valuable knowledge with her when she joined Photo London in 2018 as Gallery Development Manager, and has since worked her way up to Director.
“I thought that actually staying put for a long time was going to help me gain the experience and also hopefully give the fair the director that they needed... someone very committed to the fair and with a lot of experience of how that fair worked and how that fair succeeded….Making small changes here and there throughout my time reflected that.”
Year-Round Responsibilities as Photo London Director
May – Check in on galleries straight after the fair and debrief. As director: “My main goal is recruitment of exhibitors and advising what artists they're going to bring.”
Summer – Applications for the next edition of the fair are launched.
Summer to December – “I do a lot of travelling to other art fairs and have a look at how they operate, the galleries, the artists those galleries are working with and who is taking what to certain art fairs.”
January to May – Full PR mode and production.
The VIP programme runs all year round, and the team continually work closely with galleries and artists.
“You don’t pay to get a booth for five days and then we see you next year. We work collaboratively throughout the year, and social media is one of our ways to do that.”
Extra Tips
Recognise the transferable skills from jobs outside the art world. For example, from working in hospitality, you learn how to read a room, memorise a menu, and be front of house—all useful skills in a gallery or fair setting.
“Ask questions. Don't feel like you have to know everything about photography to have a conversation with the galleries.”
Sophie Parker is the Director of Photo London. She joined the team in 2018 as the gallery development manager and later associate director. As one of the youngest female fair directors in Europe, Parker is forging a path for change in the commercial art world, an advocate for inclusivity and accessibility, leading conversations on making, exhibiting and collecting for a new generation in the medium. Parker also sits on the advisory board for the Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant. Prior to Photo London, Sophie worked at Cristea Roberts gallery, RA Magazine and Lewisham Local History Society.