Athena Promises
11.10.2024
MISC Athens

Athens, famous for its historic role as the cradle of democracy, has also been marked in its contemporary history by the financial and social crises that have rocked Greece. Recently, the city has attracted worldwide attention for major events such as the 2004 Olympic Games and the DOCUMENTA exhibition in 2017. Today, Athens is undergoing unbridled urban development, while coping with the effects of climate change. Heat waves, floods, forest fires: here, myth and reality collide, antiquity rubs shoulders with modernity, and this sprawling metropolis, home to almost half of Greece's population, becomes the scene of an ideological clash.

At the heart of one of the oldest cities in the world, the students immersed themselves in a city rich in contrasts. They explored the city through documentary, staged and performative eyes. In the warm, golden sunshine, they explored a wide range of themes, from derelict Olympic infrastructure to the ambitious $8 billion housing project, The Ellinikon, as well as the testimonies of young Athenian artists. These artists, deeply attached to their roots and history, sometimes feel trapped in a city where recognition seems out of reach.

Under the artistic direction of Nikolas Ventourakis, this workshop offered students in the Photography Bachelor's programme an opportunity to explore their own work.