OPENING OF “THESSALONIKI 101” PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
The opening of the photography exhibition “Thessaloniki 101” took place on Saturday, March 16, 2013 at the Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki –Warehouse B1, Port. The atmosphere was particularly warm, and the event drew a large crowd. The exhibition, part of the 15th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, is organized with the support of the State Museum of Contemporary Art, the Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki and the Embassy of Canada in Greece.
The exhibition includes works from young artists that resulted from the creative online workshop of the same name held by the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. The workshop took place online in February 2013, and was led by Iranian-Canadian photographer Babak Salari. 14 young photographers participated. As Mr. Salari notes in his note accompanying the exhibition, in their work “history engages in a dialogue with contemporary life in Greece, raising many questions”.
Mr. Dimitri Eipides, Director of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, opened the exhibition, saying: “Thank you for being with us today. The Festival has a tradition of including photographic exhibitions by Greek artists in its programs. This year’s exhibition centers on the city of Thessaloniki and is in honor of the 100-year anniversary of the city’s liberation. The works are by young artists. I would like to thank my colleague Thanos Stavropoulos who worked on the production of the exhibition, as well as the renowned photographer Mr. Babak Salari, who curated it, working very hard and mainly long-distance, with the artists. As you can see, the result is fascinating.”
Maria Tsantsanoglou, director of the State Museum of Contemporary Art noted: “It is a great pleasure for the State Museum of Contemporary Art as well as the Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki to provide a venue to both the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival every year, on the occasion of a sidebar event. This year we are hosting this photography exhibit, and I would like to thank the Festival for giving us this opportunity to collaborate. It is a very interesting exhibition, it is an exhibition about Thessaloniki in Thessaloniki.”
Ms Zoe Kazazaki then took the floor. She is the General Director of Contemporary Culture of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. She said: "This wonderful exhibition demonstrates the interplay between the Thessaloniki of old and the new; the keen observations of the young artists looking outwards, with the guidance and mentorship of a man who is descended from Iran, lives in Canada and creates around the world, Mr. Babak Salari, whom we thank.” She congratulated Mr. Eipides, the Canadian Embassy and the Director of the State Museum of Contemporary Art, Mr. Tsantsanoglou.
Ms Zoe Delibasis, head of Cultural and Public Affairs at the Canadian Embassy noted: «I am particularly moved today, because we are celebrating 100 years since the liberation of Thessaloniki, as well as 15 years since the establishment of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Mr. Eipides’ grand vision, which the Canadian Embassy has had the pleasure of supporting since its inception. Finally, we have one more anniversary: we are celebrating 70 years of diplomatic relations between Greece and Canada and it is a very significant year for us who have experienced both countries intimately. I wish good luck to all the young artists who through their work have demonstrated that they have amazing ideas, great creativity and can help us see the future from a different perspective”.
In turn, Thanos Stavropoulos, responsible for the exhibition production expressed his thanks to all those present, and in particular the State Museum of Contemporary Art and the Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki.
Mr. Babak Salari noted: “I am thrilled to be here. Today is a very special day for all the participants and for me. I have had the privilege and the good fortune to collaborate with the Festival for a few years now, as well as the great opportunity to be chosen for this workshop. I would like to express my appreciation and my thanks to Mr. Eipides. I also thank Canada and the Canadian Embassy, Mr. Robert Peck, Canadian Ambassador, Ms Zoe Delibasis for the constant support, the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, its staff and volunteers, production assistant Sotiris Antoniadis, and the person responsible for producing the exhibition and my friend, Thanos Stavropoulos, for his patience and excellent work. I would also like to thank all of the people at the Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki for their support and help in setting up the exhibition, and of course the participants of the “Thessaloniki 101” workshop, who have worked very hard”.
Then the participants stepped forward and were warmly applauded, and group photos followed. The young photographers participating in the “Thessaloniki 101” exhibit are: Eleni Amaxopoulou, Artemis Pirpili, Maria Arvanitaki, Antonis Athanasiadis, Christina Iordanidou, Eleftheria Kalpenidou, Fotini Kiriakopoulou, Fotis Telloglou, Maria-Katerina Konstantinidou, Maria Nikopoulou, Irini-Athina Avramidou, Socratis Vassilopoulos, Nena Kazantzidou and Timos Christoforidis.
Duration: March 16 to 24, 2013
Operating Hours: 11:00-19:00 daily
Exhibition Curator: Babak Salari
Exhibition Production: Thanos Stavropoulos
Exhibition Production Assistant: Sotirios Antoniadis
The “Thessaloniki 101” exhibition is part of the sidebar events of the 15th TDF, which are financed by the European Union’s Regional Development Fund for Central Macedonia, 2007-2013.
