The Evolution of Photography, from Daguerreotype to AI

A new exhibition in St. Petersburg tracks how photography evolved over nearly 200 years, culminating in AI-generated imagery and digital installations.

A sweeping exhibition at the Manege Central Exhibition Hall in St. Petersburg offers visitors a chance to witness the transformation of photography—from Louis Daguerre’s first images to works crafted with artificial intelligence. Titled 'Photo Art: From Daguerreotype to Artificial Intelligence,' the show highlights how technological innovation continues to redefine visual culture.

The exhibition showcases more than 600 original photographs by 178 artists. Among them are extremely rare daguerreotypes dating back to 1839, early photomontages from 1867, and avant-garde Soviet experiments. These pieces reflect how photography evolved as both a scientific tool and an expressive medium.

The second floor of the exhibition focuses on the 21st-century digital revolution. Visitors encounter immersive digital installations and photographic works generated with neural networks—evidence that the boundary between artist and algorithm is dissolving.

Curators emphasize that this is not merely a retrospective. It’s a statement about photography's metamorphosis—from a mechanism for documentation into a full-fledged art form. The exhibition interrogates what it means to 'make' an image in the digital age.

Running through October 5, the exhibition is accompanied by an educational program that explores the impact of emerging technologies on visual storytelling and aesthetics.