BOP21 - Books on Photography

BOP – Books on Photography – is an annual festival bringing together a wide-ranging group of photobook publishers, booksellers and photographers from across Europe. This year BOP is in collaboration with Bristol Photo Festival, and will be held across Martin Parr Foundation, the Royal Photographic Society and the Paintworks Event Space, Bristol.

The festival provides an opportunity for like minded people to come together. Photographers, book lovers, publishers, artists and collectors join for a weekend to explore the medium of the photobook.

Join us for the festival to meet and chat with many of the photographers and publishers behind some of the great photobooks, new and old. The festival is accompanied by a programme of artist talks, events, book signings, street food, coffee and beer. Publishers showcasing new work, including GOST, Thames and Hudson, Hoxton Mini Press, Setanta Books, Stanley Barker and many more, with over 50 stall holders joining for the weekend.

Events include a BOP Opening Party on the Friday evening and a Photo Pub Quiz on the Saturday evening, hosted by Setanta Books.

Local Bristol brewery Lost and Grounded will set up a pop-up bar and there will be street food from Bristol Eats.

The talks programme is curated around new work coming out, as well as to continue conversations around key issues. Giya Makondo-Wills will be discussing race, representation and de-colonisation in the photobook, and Trolley Books will be sharing their experiences of publishing and the photobook industry over the past 20 years, among many other artists who will be discussing their latest publications. Everyone attending the talks is welcome to join the conversations!

The event will be held at, and is supported by Paintworks Event Space, with photographer and artist talks taking place at the RPS House. 

Details of the public talks programme can be found here. 

BOP is produced by the Martin Parr Foundation and the Royal Photographic Society.