MISSION & STRUCTURE
ARCHIVO is a non-profit, academic-oriented organization focused on critically engaging with photography and visual culture. Since its founding in 2012, it has developed a range of collaborative projects that connect research, artistic practice, publishing, and curatorial work.
With a strong academic orientation, ARCHIVO explores the role of lens-based media in shaping knowledge and cultural narratives. It approaches history as a resource for alternative narratives and a dynamic resource for rethinking the past and imagining new futures.
Operating through the International Association for Photography and Visual Culture (IAPVC), ARCHIVO's work unfolds across four main initiatives:
ARCHIVO PLATFORM
ARCHIVO is a non-profit, academic-oriented platform focused on critically engaging with visual culture, photography and the archive. Since its founding in 2012, it has developed a range of collaborative initiatives connecting research, artistic practice, publishing, and curatorial work. The platform encompasses the following initiatives:
ARCHIVO NETWORK a dynamic hub for scholars, researchers, artists, and professionals in visual culture, fostering collaborative research projects and critical exchange. The Network focuses on the archive as both a conceptual framework and a set of practices within the visual arts, promoting dialogue that connects theory, history and creative practice.
ARCHIVO RESEARCH & EDUCATION a space for academic and practice-based research, offering advanced seminars, courses, workshops, and visiting researcher programs. This initiative supports the development of innovative methodologies that bridge scholarly inquiry and artistic experimentation.
PHOTOFILE an archive-focused resource and research hub that documents, catalogues, and critically examines photography collections and visual materials. Photofile supports both scholarly investigation and artistic projects by providing access to curated archival content and research tools.
PUBLIC EVENTS ARCHIVO organizes lectures, webinars, and open sessions to engage wider audiences with critical debates in photography, visual culture, and archival studies. These events facilitate dialogue across academic, artistic, and public communities, promoting knowledge exchange beyond the academy.
ARCHIVO PAPERS JOURNAL
Archivo Papers is a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the study of photography, visual archival practices, and their intersections with visual culture. Founded in 2021, it explores both historical and contemporary perspectives on photography within broader archive-driven discourses.
REFRAMING THE ARCHIVE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
REFRAMING THE ARCHIVE is an international conference that contributes to discussions in the fields of photography and visual culture. It serves as a platform for scholarly discourse and exchange, bringing together scholars, artists, and cultural practitioners, and providing a lively environment for reflection, discussion, and networking.
ARCHIVO PRESS PUBLISHING
Archivo Press is an independent publisher dedicated to photography and visual culture, focusing not only on theoretical exploration but also on practical application. Reflecting this dual commitment, Archivo Press encompasses books that materialise Archivo's projects and collaborations, scholarly journals such as Archivo Papers, and limited editions of prints that emerge from Archivo’s initiatives and programs.
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. REGISTRATION & COPYRIGHT — All work published at ARCHIVO is copyright of its respective owner/author, otherwise © Archivo. ARCHIVO is developed through the International Association of Photography and Visual Culture (IAPVC), a non-profit organisation registered in Portugal. [Reg. n.516352547]