Photo Kegham of Gaza: an endless archive

The Centre Photographique Marseille presents the rediscovered archives of Photo Kegham, Gaza’s first professional photography studio, founded in 1944 by Kegham Djeghalian Sr., a survivor of the Armenian genocide. Rediscovered by his grandson in Cairo in 2018, these negatives bring back to life the everyday reality of a city that has now largely disappeared, while questioning the very nature of the archive.

Report produced by France 3, courtesy of the Centre Photographique Marseille

Kegham Djeghalian Jr discovered red boxes buried in his father's home in Cairo. Filled with negatives, documents, and family mementoes, they reveal the life of his grandfather, Kegham Djeghalian Sr., a major figure in photography in Gaza, and bear witness to a broader memory of Gaza.

By rejecting dates and captions, he questions the nature of the archive and brings out the potential of “unmade archive”: an open, unfinished archive that resists closure.

Photo Kegham of Gaza: an endless archive, until 12 September 2026 at Centre Photographique Marseille.

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