Eidolon Centre for Everyday Photography is proud to announce the establishment of its advisory board, a distinguished committee comprising esteemed local and international professionals dedicated to enriching the ongoing success of our institution. The Eidolon Advisory Board will play a pivotal role in providing comprehensive guidance, valuable insights, and constructive feedback essential to shaping our growth strategy, refining programs, and enhancing outcomes. 

At Eidolon, our vision is ambitious yet clear: to pioneer the world’s first Museum of Everyday Photography. In pursuit of this vision, our advisory board will collaborate closely with us to actualise Eidolon’s strategic framework, advancing us steadily toward this momentous goal.

We are delighted to introduce the members of our advisory board for the 2024/2025 season:

- Geoffrey Batchen: Professor of History of Art at the University of Oxford.

Teacher, writer, curator, and a specialist in the history of photography. His writing has been published in 23 languages to date and he curated exhibitions shown in Brazil, Australia, United States, Netherlands, UK, Iceland, Japan, Germany and New Zealand. His seminal essay titled Vernacular Photographies published in 2000 played a huge role in the current wave of interest in vernacular photography.

- Andrew Dewdney: Professor of Educational Development and co-director of the Centre for the Study of the Networked Image at London South Bank University.

A PhD supervisor whose research interests lie at the intersections of art, media and technology, focusing upon the changing status of representation in culture and society, with a special interest in the photographic image. Currently he is investigating the changing status and value of the visual image in networked culture. 

- Oksana Sarkisova: Research Fellow at the Vera and Donald Blinken OSA Archivum and co-founder and Head of Visual Studies Platform at CEU. 

Her fields of research are cultural history, memory and representation, film history, amateur photography, and visual studies. In 2023 she co-authored In Visible Presence: Soviet Afterlives in Family Photos (with Olga Shevchenko).

Their diverse expertise and extensive experience will be invaluable as we build our activities around the universe of everyday photography, fostering its international heritage and elucidating its profound impact on visual culture.

Eidolon Centre for Everyday Photography is a Budapest-based, private and non-profit institution dedicated to the world of vernacular photography. Our mission is not merely to research and exhibit photographs but to delve into their significance in our contemporary world and raise awareness of its role in visual culture. Today, everyday photographs wield immense influence, transcending traditional mediums to shape cultural narratives in digital realms. They serve as a universal language, transmit knowledge between cultures and generations.

Despite the proliferation of practitioners, research initiatives, and artistic endeavours in this field, there remains a remarkable void — a lack of a unifying platform dedicated to everyday photography initiatives.
With Eidolon, we aim to fill this void, providing a dynamic space where these initiatives can converge and flourish. 

While curating exhibitions, publishing photographic volumes and operating Eidolon Journal we organise yearly talk events focusing on the topic of everyday imaging, build a lively network of vernacular photography professionals and enthusiasts, initiate discussions on the role of this image heritage in the wider cultural landscape, and are in the process of establishing an international grant.

Eidolon’s advisory board operates distinctively from a governing board, with no fiduciary responsibilities. Matters such as budget allocation, staff management, financial development, and facilities are administered by Eidolon Centre’s in-house team. 

We feel honoured and inspired to be able to conduct engaged discussions with our esteemed advisory board as their experience, wisdom and insight serve as an inspiration to the whole Eidolon team.