In the heart of Paris’s Marais district, Ithaque gives new focus to darkroom printmaking, pairing artistic practice with social impact. The art gallery, founded in 2020 by photographer Alexandre Arminjon, is more than an exhibition space—it is also a living laboratory. Alongside its white-cube exhibition room, it houses two darkrooms shared with the students and artists supported through Les Amis d’Ithaque, the nonprofit created to advance the gallery’s mission of making analog photography techniques accessible to as many people as possible.
“What we really wanted to do was create a community of film photography enthusiasts, and promote and democratize the practice of film photography,” explains Arminjon, who serves as Secretary–Treasurer on the nonprofit’s board.
The organization is deeply involved in efforts to preserve and promote the craft of darkroom printing, working closely with major actors such as historian Michel Poivert, founder of the International College of Photography and Chair of the History of Photography at the Sorbonne, who also serves on the board of Les Amis d’Ithaque.
Arminjon has been invited to speak about photographic printmaking at the Institut national d’histoire de l’art (INHA) in Paris in line with efforts to recognize the craft as “intangible heritage” by UNESCO.
Beyond preservation, Ithaque is deeply engaged in new creation. It has become a hub for conversations about contemporary analog photography, hosting events such as a talk by Australian photographer Tace Stevens with the World Monuments Fund in July 2025.
In line with this mission, Les Amis d’Ithaque supports programs that expand access to this artistic craft, both at Ithaque and well beyond the center of Paris’s gallery district.
Through photography workshops with middle schools in underserved school districts, Les Amis d’Ithaque shares traditional darkroom techniques with young people who might have otherwise never encountered analog photography, and may have never held a camera before.
The nonprofit also supports residency programs that welcome artists from around the world to work intensively with analog processes in Ithaque’s darkrooms.
Through these programs, the organization opens new pathways for young people and artists to experiment, create, and develop their visual voice, all made possible by donor support.
Empowering Young People through Analog Photography
Each year, Les Amis d’Ithaque partners with middle schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods to run workshops for groups of 15–20 students. Designed to introduce young people to analog photography, these sessions guide them from taking their first images to presenting their own exhibition.
Each workshop unfolds in three key stages. The team begins by traveling to schools on the outskirts of Paris, providing the students with guidance on techniques and distributing simple reusable cameras with black-and-white film. Students photograph their neighborhoods, friends, and families with one important constraint: they have only 36 frames, teaching them to focus on what matters.
The choice of black-and-white film is intentional. In a world dominated by smartphones, the slower rhythm of analog photography invites students to reimagine their surroundings. As Arminjon explains, “It’s a timeless aesthetic that appeals to the imagination.”
Students then visit the Ithaque gallery and step into the darkroom to discover the process of printmaking. Under red light, they work from contact sheets and watch images appear on paper, experiencing the “magic” of the photographic reaction.
Finally, prints of the students’ photographs are produced in the lab and presented as an exhibition, often during the end-of-year celebration to bring together the principal, parents, teachers, and students to celebrate the work.
For Les Amis d’Ithaque, what matters most is that the young people are not passive subjects, but active creators: “We position ourselves only as the technical partner,” explains Arminjon. “They are the actors of their own images. They will create their own imaginary world.”
Teachers quickly noticed the impact. “After our first workshops, they told us, ‘The students were proud,’” he recalls. “This is a central value: empowerment.”
These workshops also arrive at a historic moment for the medium. In 2026 and 2027, photography will celebrate its 200th anniversary, with events across France and worldwide. The French Ministry of Culture has officially recognized Les Amis d’Ithaque’s school workshops as part of the national bicentennial celebration, giving the organization a wider platform to share its work. “For the bicentennial, we want to transmit that magic and that know-how to young people,” says Arminjon.
Contemporary Creation: Supporting Artists through Darkroom Residencies
For Arminjon, the darkroom is not just a technical facility; it is a distinct world. “The darkroom is really a space-time,” he explains. “Photographers spend their day differently, it’s extremely artisanal… In the darkroom, they’re in another universe, lit by a red light. It’s a very special environment.”
Over the years, Ithaque has welcomed artists whose work pushes the boundaries of analog photography. Among them is Anne Simin Chitrit, an Israeli artist of Iranian origin whose project explored the border landscapes between Iran and Armenia using emulsion on fabric, developed in Ithaque’s darkrooms. Her work was exhibited at Ithaque from November 2025 to January 2026 in a show titled The Soil Will Become Wet.
Exhibition view of The Soil Will Become Wet at Ithaque (Paris, November 14, 2025 – January 17, 2026) © Ithaque
Another collaborator is American-Swedish photographer Peggy Anderson, who works with large format 4×5 cameras and has developed still lifes and collage based work during residencies at Ithaque. In May 2025, the gallery presented a solo exhibition of Anderson’s work, showcasing how the intimacy and discipline of darkroom practice can open up new visual languages.
By offering these kinds of residencies, Les Amis d’Ithaque supports contemporary artists in developing new approaches to analog photography, bridging past and present in a space where experimentation is grounded in rigorous craft.
Growing the Amis d’Ithaque Community with Friends of Fondation de France
Over the last several years, Ithaque has continued to expand its international reach. With a growing American community that has formed around the gallery, the nonprofit association Les Amis d’Ithaque hopes to continue to expand its work and deepen transatlantic exchanges around analog photography.
These connections led Les Amis d’Ithaque to join Friends of Fondation de France in order to better connect with those who share their passion, with transparency and accountability at the center of their work.
Looking forward, the organization aims to increase the number of schools they work with. The organization currently partners with two or three schools per year, and is aiming to increase that number to five. With sufficient funding, they also envision creating more opportunities for American photographers to pursue their work through residencies in Ithaque’s darkroom.
Through Friends of Fondation de France, United States-based donors can make tax-deductible contributions in support of Les Amis d’Ithaque’s student workshops and darkroom residencies, helping to ensure that the magic of the darkroom, the craft of printmaking, and the pride of seeing one’s work on the wall continue to inspire new generations.
To learn more about Les Amis d’Ithaque and how to support them, visit their page on our website.
