Exhibition presenting the remaining archive of Photo Kegham, the first commercial photography studio in Gaza, curated by Kegham Djeghalian Jr as part of Bristol Photo Festival 2026.
Photo Kegham, curated by Kegham Djeghalian Jr, opens at The Welcome Building on 16 October and runs until 15 November. It's one of the main exhibitions of Bristol Photo Festival 2026, which this year takes the theme Time Machine.
The show draws on the archive of Gaza's first commercial photography studio, founded in 1944 by Kegham Djeghalian Sr, an Armenian genocide survivor. For decades, the studio documented Palestinian everyday life through periods of political and social upheaval. Much of that archive was lost over the years, but three surviving boxes of photographs, now cared for by his grandson Kegham Djeghalian Jr, preserve a rare visual history of Gaza. The exhibition brings those images and archival materials together to explore family memory and the relationship between personal and collective experience, while challenging the dominant narratives of a place the artist can no longer physically return to. It's presented in collaboration with Photopia in Cairo, with support from the British Council.
It's worth keeping in mind that this is part of a wider festival. Bristol Photo Festival 2026 runs from 14 October to 15 November, with exhibitions spread across the city: Arnolfini, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Bristol Cathedral, IC Visual Lab, Centrespace Gallery, and Redcliffe Caves. If you're in the mood for more than one show, you can work your way through several of them over the course of the month.
Every week we pick 🏆 the 5 best 🏆 things to do in Bristol and send them to your inbox. Just one weekly email, no spam.
By submitting your email, you accept our Privacy Policy
Photo Kegham is at The Welcome Building, 4 Glass Wharf, from 16 October to 15 November. It's free to visit, with donations welcome.
