Permanent Light

200 YEARS OF PHOTOGRAPHY, 1826-2026

13 June - 20 September 2026
the Jaime Umbelino Museum House
Photography Experimentation Center
R. Church 5, 2500 Foz do Arelho

Marking 200 years of photography, Permanent Light / Permanent Light It explores the evolution of the photographic image from its beginnings to the visual moments that define the modern world.

Presented as part of F/262 International Photography Festival developed in collaboration with the Portuguese Institute of Photography (IPF), the exhibition combines historically significant photographs with an extensive presentation of cameras, lenses, photographic equipment and archival objects that trace the technological and cultural evolution of photography over two centuries.

The exhibition includes works linked to figures such as Nicéphore Niépce, William Henry Fox Talbot, Louis Daguerre, Nadar, Julia Margaret Cameron, Eadweard Muybridge, Alfred Stieglitz, Lewis Hine, Dorothea Lange, Gordon Parks, Robert Capa, Philippe Halsman, Yousuf Karsh, Alberto Korda, Malcolm Browne, Neil Armstrong and many others whose images have turned photography into one of the defining visual languages of modern society.

Along with the photographs, visitors find a curated selection of historic cameras and photographic technologies, revealing how image creation evolved from early experimental processes to portable reporting cameras, scientific imaging systems, and the beginning of the digital age.

Through portraiture, documentary photography, war photography, scientific experimentation, social commentary and visual innovation, Permanent Light / Permanent Light It reflects on photography not only as a tool of representation, but as one of the most influential inventions in modern history.

Instead of presenting a complete historical archive, the exhibition proposes a curated journey through key moments, images, and technologies that have shaped the way humanity records memory, understands reality, and sees the world.

Official opening: 13 June 2026.

Curated by João Carlos.

In collaboration with the Portuguese Institute of Photography.

Free entrance.