A Living Archive — Digitally Unfolding
A growing photographic archive where history, research, and digital reconstruction converge.
Built from private collections, institutional archives, and ongoing digitization — continuously expanding.
Digitization is ongoing. The archive evolves with each restored and catalogued image.
Digital infrastructure and restoration workflows supported by AI Insider
The Georgian Museum of Photography is a cultural and research institution dedicated to preserving, studying, and making accessible the photographic heritage of Georgia and the wider Caucasus region. Our archive brings together historical and contemporary photographs from private collectors, family archives, institutional holdings, and individual photographers — spanning nearly two centuries of visual history.
Mission
To preserve photographic heritage, advance research in the history of photography, and foster critical engagement with visual culture through open access, education, and curatorial practice.
Vision
The museum envisions itself as a leading photographic archive and research platform in the region, connecting local visual history with international scholarship and encouraging dialogue between past and present photographic practices.
History & Formation
The Georgian Museum of Photography was established following the creation of the Georgian Association for the History of Photography in the Caucasus, with support from the Open Society Georgia Foundation.
The museum emerged from decades of archival research and collecting, laying the foundation for the first online museum dedicated to photography in Georgia.
The Founder & Project Team
Giorgi Gersamia
Founder, Author, Cinematographer
Faunder of the Georgian Association for the History of Photography in the Caucasus
Giorgi Gersamia has devoted many years to collecting, preserving, and researching historical photography in Georgia and the Caucasus. His work is based on long-term archival research, fieldwork, and collaboration with institutions and private contributors.
Contributors to the project include: Tengiz Mirzashvili (Artist); Otar Vepkhvadze (Artist); Beka Gersamia (Webmaster), Archil Gersamia (AI consultant)
Archives & Sources
The museum’s archive includes materials sourced from major cultural institutions, private collections, and family archives, including national museums, libraries, and research institutions in Georgia.
A detailed list of sources is available upon request or in the archive documentation section.
* State Cinema-Photo Archive
* Janashia State Museum of Georgia
* State Museum of Fine Arts of Georgia
* State Literary Museum of Georgia
* Kekelidze Institute of Manuscripts (Georgian Academy of Sciences)
* Tbilisi History Museum
* Grishashvili Library-Museum
* Laboratory for Fixation of Art Monuments
* State Conservatory Library
* Georgian Silk Museum
Additionally:
* Private collections
* Family archives
The Georgian Museum of Photography is an evolving archive, open to new research, collaboration, and dialogue.
The Stories & Podcasts
Built with AI-assisted archival workflows
This platform is developed as a real-world implementation of AI Insider — combining digitization workflows, archive infrastructure, and storytelling systems.
It demonstrates how historical archives can be transformed into structured, scalable, and engaging digital platforms.