On June 18, 2026, the National Geographic Museum of Exploration officially opened its doors in Washington, D.C.
Among many other stories, the museum tells a whole collection of underwater adventures—from Robert Ballard’s discovery of the Titanic to today’s cutting-edge ocean exploration.
The opening ceremony was led by National Geographic Society CEO Jill Tiefenthaler, who officially cut the ribbon.
Alongside remarkable artifacts—including the Rolex Deepsea watch worn by James Cameron during his expeditions to both the Titanic and the bottom of the Mariana Trench—visitors can also see a DUI TLS 350 dry suit belonging to National Geographic Explorer Bogdana Vashchenko.
National Geographic Georgia’s “Through the Years” exhibition opened at the Tbilisi Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) on May 5, bringing together works by Georgian and international photographers whose images have helped tell the story of Georgia over the years.
Among the featured authors are National Geographic Explorers Tako Robakidze, Natela Grigalashvili, and National Geographic photographer Viktor Lyagushkin.
The exhibition includes photographs from Lyagushkin’s long-term project dedicated to the bats of Georgia. The project was initiated and led by National Geographic Explorer Bogdana Vashchenko with support from the National Geographic Society, combining scientific research, visual storytelling, and conservation.
Created over several years in collaboration with Georgian scientists, the project explores the hidden world of Georgia’s bats while encouraging a fresh look at these often misunderstood animals.
We are delighted to see this work become part of an exhibition celebrating some of Georgia’s finest contemporary photographers.
I’m thrilled to share that on October 25, 2025, the Tbilisi Zoo opened our new photographic exhibition, “Night Shift: Bats of Georgia.” The project is the result of a year-long collaboration between National Geographic photographer Viktor Lyagushkin, me, and the Ilia State University bat research group — a team whose dedication and fieldwork made these images possible.
The opening brought exactly what we hoped for: children peering at the prints with bright curiosity, asking thoughtful questions, and a room full of people discovering that bats are neither monsters nor omens — but essential, intelligent, astonishing creatures.
We were honored to have Ketevan Chumburidze, Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic Georgia, speak at the event and welcome visitors.
Georgia is home to more than 30 bat species — meaning one in every four mammals in the country is a bat. Yet misconceptions remain widespread. Many of us have seen bats in darkness but never truly looked at them. This exhibition invites the opposite: to see their elegance, their precision, their ecological importance, and their quiet presence in the Caucasus night.
Through Viktor’s photographs and the scientific work of the ISU team, our goal is simple: to replace fear with understanding and to introduce the public to one of the most misunderstood groups of animals in Georgia.
The exhibition is supported by the National Geographic Society, the EUROBATS Project Initiative, and the Tbilisi Zoo.
📍 Location: Tbilisi Zoo, next to the Children’s Educational Center The exhibition remains open to all visitors.
On October 29, in the city of Rybinsk, in the Krista gallery, an exhibition of works by Viktor Lyagushkin “20 years under water” was opened, which presents the best photographs of the master. Dolphins and lion-fishes, mysterious depths of underwater caves, the Swan Princess and the Princess of Whales, amazing creatures of the northern seas and much more.
The opening went great, a lot of warm, good words were said. Thanks to the city of Rybinsk and the organizers for the warm welcome!
Coronavirus restrictions have eased a little in Moscow, and our PHOTOTEAM.PRO team dared to participate in the annual PhotoBookMarket 2021, which was held at Winzavod on September 26-27, 2021.
Our new book “White Sea Bestiary” (the author of which is the writer and naturalist Bogdana Vashchenko) was greeted with a bang, both market guests and venerable photographers participating in the exhibition with their books were interested in it.
We brought to the exhibition a signal copy of the collector’s version of “Bestiary” for our fans to browse through.
I think that without false modesty, the Bestiary can be called the number one book of the event.
A personal exhibition by Viktor Lyagushkin (Nikon Ambassador, National Geographic photographer, SUBAL Pro Team member and leader of our PHOTOTEAM.PRO) is taking place in the Moskvarium (Moscow, Russia) as part of the Gorizont ecological festival.
The exhibition titled “The White Sea: Man and Nature” presents photographs from the projects “Until the Ice Melts” and “White Sea Bestiary”. Bizarre Arctic animals coexist with humanoid demons. Thus Viktor shows the environmental problems of the northern seas.
The exhibition will run until July 4, 2021, admission is free.
Viktor Lyagushkin, a dive photographer, has created the world’s first under-ice art exhibition. The underwater art museum looks surreal as the lit photographs float in the dark green water.
The reportage of the French TV channel Franceinfo about our underwater gallery “Until The Ice Melts”. Great team, very good guys, it was a pleasure to work with them.
Underwater video by Bogdana Vashchenko.
You can view the reportage about the exhibition here
