African photography gets a showcase at pioneering London gallery

2500_jpg_80a — A striking, stylised portrait of two young African women by South African photographer Trevor Stuurman. Photograph: Trevor Stuurman

2500_jpg_80b — Self-portrait of Trevor Stuurman, the subject of the first big solo show at Doyle Wham gallery. Photograph: Trevor Stuurman

Spotting a gap in the market, two friends have set up Doyle Wham to spotlight the continent’s neglected talent

Sun 1 May 2022 09.00 BST

Of the hundreds of galleries in London, none has been given over exclusively to the growing and vibrant market for African photography. Until now, that is.

Doyle Wham is the creation of two young Londoners who are eschewing Britain’s “elite” art scene to open what they say is the country’s first ever gallery dedicated exclusively to African photographers.

“We were aware of so many amazing photographers who were Africa-based but who weren’t being exhibited or even noticed,” says Imme Dattenberg-Doyle, 27, a graduate of the Royal College of Art in London.

She and her friend, Sofia Carreira-Wham, 28, a museums and heritage scholar, have opened Doyle Wham as a new permanent gallery in a converted warehouse in London’s Shoreditch.