Varvakeios
The eyes focus on the heart of the oldest, largest and most multicultural market in the historic center of Athens: Varvakeios Agora (market). A place that unites people from all over the world, even if they do not speak the same language. The market does not discriminate, open and hospitable like a lively and willing mother, it becomes a place - canvas for visual arts manifestations.
Majid Narenji
“I love photography. It creates memories. I feel that life itself is photographic. Every moment becomes a memory as soon as we live it through. Things that are forgotten can be brought back to the senses by simply seeing their photographs. I like Athens because it is very old and modern at the same time. Every time I walk around it reveals something new to me. Varvakeios market was a great new discovery“.
Hind Alzayat
“When I first came to Athens I was living in a camp in harsh conditions. At that time I used to hang out in Monastiraki area, which remains one of my favorite places in Athens. Those two separate realities marked my staying and connection to the city. If I had to choose only three images representing my relation to the city, I would choose one from the camp, one from Monastiraki and one of the street murals.
Shooting with a professional camera made me aware of all the things one doesn’t observe when walking around a place, like the expression of a stranger passing by. In Varvakeios Market I liked the diversity of the people you see around and all the antique stores surrounding it. This is something photography showed me, that it is not just about a technical or aesthetic practice. I feel it more as an art that helps you connect with the places you visit and the people you meet”.
Cedric Nkoko
“I am a human rights activist and writing is my true passion; my salvation. I also love to give motivation speeches around the world. I have been doing this since high school. In Moria, where I spent the first two years in Greece, I put together a small group of people to motivate them to be strong in life. This is when I started writing a poem about Greece. I had also bad experiences but I chose to see the positive aspect in life because I am a positive person. My interest in Greece, its philosophy and mythology, started since my childhood, during school, as well as when I was in the Bible school. I feel a connection with the country, its philosophy, its history, its culture, its flag with the cross and the nine blue stripes. In Athens, one of my favorite places is Varvakeios Market, because it is a place where you feel the humanism in the people who work there. They are not judging your beliefs, where you come from and what language do you speak. There is a simplicity and generosity. I shop there and they often give me products for free. Shooting with the camera makes me happy. I notice things that usually we ignore and I feel I can have a more instant connection with people“.
Alain Manzenza
“What I like about Athens is that you meet people from different countries and walk freely around the city. I like Varvakeios Market because it is a place to meet and chat with people, who are simple and easy to communicate with even if you don’t speak the Greek language. I feel happy when I am there because it reminds me of Africa. Yet, in Africa, they think you are a spy when you are holding or shooting with a camera. At the beginning of the workshop I was very cautious when I was going out because I was afraid that people would think the same here. Slowly, I felt more comfortable. I mostly enjoyed taking photos in Varvakeios Market, because the people working there really liked to be photographed.
Something else I appreciated while holding the camera, was that I wasn’t afraid of the police when I was walking around the city centre“.
Hamid Tabassomi
“Athens is a lovely city to me. It has history and identity and like Tehran is always busy. When I was shooting with a camera in Athens, the city was a lot more fun for me. For my portrait, I chose a picture of an old building that I felt a connection. The building was modern in its time. But now it's deserted and lonely. This building could tell us a lot about its history over the years if it could speak to us.
I used to be a shopkeeper in Iran, so I am doubtful with shop owners and sellers because I can identify the salesmen who are trying to take control over others. This is why I wasn’t fond of Varvakeios Market and I chose to take pictures of the surrounding space“.
Victoria Square
Saman Mirzaei
A video about Victoria square, one of Saman’s favorite neighborhoods in the city, where he used to spend a lot of time. Background music: the Afghan song Sarzamin-e Man (my homeland) by Dawood Sarkhosh.
Glimpses of the city
Photographic walks in the neighborhoods of Athens
Past and Present
Teweldebram Gebrehawaria
Τhis video/collage combining photos depicting historical places of Athens in the past and videos of the same places in the present provides an image of the past, the present and maybe the future of the city.
