Another Life: Human Flows, Unknown Odysseys

The exhibition of the Thessaloniki Museum of Photography Another life: Human flows / Unknown Odysseys, after ten successful months in Thessaloniki, is presented in Athens & Epidaurus Festival, from May 22 untill July 19, 2017 at Peiraios 260 venue. The exhibition attempts to illuminate and summarize known and unknown, current and earlier aspects of the refugee-migration issue that tests the country’s resilience and to sensitize large part of civil society.

Twenty-six photographers – the majority of them active photojournalists – take part in this group exhibition, presenting over 160 of their works, depicting the human drama of leaving one’s home behind and heading into the unknown. Due to its geographical position, Greece has often been a gateway for migrant populations passing through to the rest of Europe, as has recently been the case. This exhibition tells the story of one of the greatest dramas in recent history. The photographers have captured the dramatic events in the making, focusing on the human element, and portraying the refugees’ despair, agony, loss, and sense of impasse. The main body of the exhibition consists of the work of professional photojournalists, complemented by instances of “citizen journalism,” and even photographic self-representation of refugees.

Curators: Hercules Papaioannou, Penelope Petsini; Participating photographers: Alexandros Avramidis – Reuters / Petros Giannakouris – Associated Press / Louisa Gouliamaki – Agence France Presse / Yorgos Karahalis – Associated Press / Giorgos Katsagelos / Alexandros Katsis / Yannis Kolesidis – Εuropean Pressphoto Agency, Athens News Agency / Yannis Kontos – Polaris / Alkis Konstantinidis – Reuters / Giorgos Makkas – Panos Pictures / Aris Messinis – Agence France Presse / Sakis Mitrolidis – Agence France Presse / Dimitris Michalakis / Giorgos Moutafis / Yannis Behrakis – Reuters /Giannis Papanikos – Fos Photos, Associated Press / Antonis Pasvantis / Nikos Pilos – LAIF / Lefteris Pitarakis – Associated Press / Thanasis Stavrakis – Associated Press / Angelos Tzortzinis / Dimitris Tosidis – INTIME / Konstantinos Tsakalidis – SOOC / Kostas Tsironis / Milos Bicanski – Getty Images / Enri Canaj

Athens & Epidaurus Festival new identity – a festival that is inclusive, that reflects its host city, and that brings the livelier aspects of society back into play is being enhanced this year launching a series of new sections, collaborations, and openings, which according to the Festival’s artistic director, Vangelis Theodoropoulos will “hopefully revitalize the Greek performing scene and over time bear fruit and become established parts of the Festival,” adding that its intention is to be “able to give a first taste of the direction in which we are interested, an initial positioning -youthful, alternative and at the same time political.”

N.N.