Piraeus Gallery Shows Shed Light on Refugee Ordeal

Refugee child, Nelly’s – Benaki Museum, photo archive.

The trials and tribulations of refugee life take center stage at the Municipal Gallery of Piraeus on Monday with the opening of two photography shows on the subject.

Under the titles “The Land of Attica Welcomes the Refugees of ’22” and “Roads of Survival”, the two exhibits focus on the very relevant today subject of migration, refugee life, integration and tolerance.

The first show, lent to the municipal gallery by the Hellenic Parliament Foundation, explores the political conditions of 1922 and after when millions of people were forced to leave their homelands. The images capture the efforts of the refugees from Anatolia to find a new home and life in Greece, their arrival to Piraeus and later Attica and their personal stories.

The second show, “Roads of Survival”, features photographic images of the current refugee crisis through the lens of prominent photo reporters who have been on the spot capturing the struggles of the thousands of refugees making their way to Greece primarily via sea from neighboring Turkey. The show with the help pf complimentary material such as maps and documents further sheds light on the countries of origin, the routes, the figures and the stories. A parallel educational program on the refugee problem will be presented to high school students.

Both shows run as of tonight at the Municipal Gallery of Piraeus through to March 5.