The Bicentenary of Photography: Hangar Celebrates 200 Years of Creativity

Two hundred years after its invention, photography continues to reinvent itself. To mark the bicentenary of photography, Hangar is taking part in this international celebration with Reinventing Photography, an exhibition officially recognised as part of the bicentenary programme. Bringing together twenty artistic projects, fifteen of which stem from a national commission by the Centre national des arts plastiques (Cnap), the exhibition will be presented in Brussels from 18 September to 20 December 2026. It brings French and Belgian artists into dialogue around the transformations of the photographic medium. In doing so, Hangar extends the reflections prompted by this anniversary, while the PhotoBrussels Festival, also officially recognised as part of the programme, contributes to promoting contemporary photographic creation.

The Bicentenary of Photography: Celebrating Two Centuries of Creativity

The bicentenary of photography celebrates an invention that has profoundly transformed the way we see and understand the world. From 1 September 2026 to 30 September 2027, the French Ministry of Culture is organising an international celebration dedicated to the history, uses and evolution of this medium. The scientific committee overseeing the celebration is chaired by Dominique de Font-Réaulx. Inspired by Nicéphore Niépce’s View from the Window at Le Gras, considered the oldest surviving photograph, the anniversary celebrates two centuries of visual experimentation and artistic transformation.

Hundreds of officially recognised events are taking place across France and in around thirty other countries. Exhibitions, conferences, screenings, publications and visual literacy projects are highlighting historical collections, contemporary artistic creation and the many professions that sustain the photographic arts.

The celebration also extends beyond France’s borders. In Belgium, several institutions are taking part in this initiative, including Hangar, the Charleroi Photography Museum and the PhotoBrussels Festival. Through its involvement, Hangar reinforces its position among the cultural institutions helping to promote contemporary photography internationally. Its participation in the bicentenary also provides an opportunity to showcase emerging artistic practices and explore the ways in which the medium is evolving.

Reinventing Photography at Hangar: An Exhibition at the Heart of the Bicentenary

At the heart of Hangar’s contribution to the bicentenary of photography, the exhibition Reinventing Photography offers an evocative exploration of contemporary artistic creation. On view from 18 September to 20 December 2026, it brings together twenty artistic projects that explore the forms, uses and future possibilities of the photographic medium. Officially recognised as part of the bicentenary programme, the exhibition brings French and Belgian artists into dialogue around a shared question: how can photography be reinvented today?

The project originated with the Centre national des arts plastiques (Cnap), which commissioned fifteen artists to produce photographic work as part of a national initiative. Launched to mark the bicentenary, the commission invites artists to explore the possibilities of contemporary imagery and challenge the boundaries of the medium.

Building on this initiative, Hangar launched an open call for projects aimed at Belgian artists and artists residing in Belgium. Five artists were selected: Julie Calbert, Lucas Leffler, Louis Lekien, Chrystel Mukeba and Sébastien Van Malleghem.

In total, Reinventing Photography brings together twenty projects: fifteen works resulting from the Cnap commission and five projects selected by Hangar. The works by the five artists selected in Belgium are being presented in this context for the first time. They enter into dialogue with the works produced through the national commission, creating a space for exchange between different artistic practices and sensibilities.

The exhibition does not seek to provide a single answer to the question of what photography is. On the contrary, it opens up new perspectives, brings different practices into conversation and invites visitors to discover a medium whose possibilities continue to evolve. In this way, Hangar turns the bicentenary into an opportunity to support contemporary creation and foster exchanges between the French and Belgian art scenes.

How Does the Bicentenary of Photography Challenge Our Relationship with Images?

Photography is constantly changing in terms of its formats, pace and language. At times, it takes the form of an object, a material, a surface or an archive; at others, it becomes a digital file, a projection or a computed image. It can serve as a trace, a form of memory, a fiction or a play of light. It permeates our lives, our screens and our imaginations, documenting the world while also transforming it.

As images proliferate and circulate at unprecedented speed, one question remains: what still makes a photograph a photograph today? This is precisely the question at the heart of Reinventing Photography.

Reinventing the medium is not simply a matter of creating new images. It also means questioning the conditions under which they emerge, how they circulate, and their power to fascinate or unsettle us. To this end, artists return to materials, gestures and historical processes while exploring the latest technologies.

Today, digital transformations and artificial intelligence are shifting the boundaries of photography. Photorealistic images, for example, can now be generated from just a few words entered into an AI system. At the same time, analogue processes are entering into dialogue with digital and experimental techniques.

In response to these changes, artists do more than record reality. They reshape its contours, reveal its fragilities and contradictions, and imagine new ways of representing it. Their works also address social and political tensions, ecological urgencies, and the personal and collective narratives that shape our time.

Through the twenty projects presented at Hangar, these transformations become a field of artistic exploration. Whether analogue, digital, material, hybrid or ecosophical in approach, the works bear witness to a vibrant photographic practice capable of questioning reality and renewing the way we look at it. The bicentenary therefore does more than celebrate the past: it also opens up a reflection on the possible futures of the image.

Hangar and the PhotoBrussels Festival: Two Officially Recognised Initiatives

The bicentenary of photography also resonates throughout the programme of the PhotoBrussels Festival, which has likewise been officially recognised as part of the celebration. Through their respective initiatives, Hangar and the festival contribute to promoting contemporary photography and showcasing the diversity of perspectives on the image.

Hangar, for its part, reaffirms its commitment to photographic creation by bringing together artists, artworks and reflections on the transformations of the medium. With Reinventing Photography, the art centre builds on the Cnap’s national commission by opening the project up to the Belgian art scene. In doing so, it encourages dialogue between different territories, practices and artistic sensibilities.

The PhotoBrussels Festival, meanwhile, raises the profile of photography through a programme that fosters encounters between artists, galleries, institutions and audiences. Together, the two initiatives contribute to a shared celebration while maintaining their own distinct approaches and identities.

Both invite audiences to explore the many forms photography can take, from its historical legacy to the most contemporary experiments. Their inclusion in the bicentenary programme also highlights the vitality of Belgium’s photographic scene and its international outlook.

Two Hundred Years of Photography: A Story That Continues to Unfold at Hangar

Celebrating the bicentenary of photography means looking back at an invention that has profoundly transformed the way we see and understand the world. It also means questioning the place of images in our societies, how they are used and how they shape our imaginations.

With Reinventing Photography, Hangar turns this anniversary into a space for reflection and discovery. The encounter between the fifteen projects resulting from the Cnap commission and the five projects selected by the art centre demonstrates the richness of contemporary photographic creation. It also reminds us of the importance of continuing to explore the possibilities of the medium.

Alongside the PhotoBrussels Festival and other officially recognised initiatives, Hangar is helping to make the bicentenary a moment of sharing, knowledge exchange and experimentation. Two hundred years after the first photographic images, photography remains an evolving language, shaped by technological developments and the questions of our time.

Ultimately, celebrating this anniversary is not simply about looking back. It is also about imagining what photography might become. Without losing sight of its history, the medium continues to reinvent itself, shift perspectives and open up new horizons.