Photographs that cause sadness and reflection and others that give rise to feelings of optimism and hope and express the emotional world of the people who captured them. Pictures almost perfect artistically even though there are no professionals hiding behind the camera. This different photography exhibition, which opens today at the Telloglio Institute of Arts of the University of Athens, presents works by vendors of the street magazine “schedia”.

Everyday life in Athens through a perspective that not everyone has access to, as well as views of Thessaloniki at different times and seasons, as captured by members of the “schedia”, tell – in a way – to the visitor what they want to express.

“Through art and specifically through photography, people reconnect with themselves, with society, with the visitor and converse with him,” the founder of the “schedia” magazine, Christos Alefantis, told the Athenian/Macedonian News Agency. emphasizing the need these people have to be … visible.

“We see that the photos focus on subjects that move them, that they like, that create strong emotions for them. We made sure that the works were entered in a series that starts with the urban landscapes and we slowly move on to the works where the human form is the protagonist”, points out the curator of the exhibition, Nikos Vianas.

The exhibition entitled “Images of our other selves” – Life in the city through the eyes of the people of the street magazine “schedia”, is being held on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the release of the first issue of the popular street magazine.

That was also the period when the sellers started a tour of the streets of the city with a camera in hand and the guidance of the renowned photographer Nikos Pilos.

“The people of our raft, it is you and I who have lost everything. Everything includes home, family, work, faith in ourselves. There is still anger because we failed or because society did not support us”, states Christos Alefantis, explaining that when all this happens, desires are also lost. “When someone is locked in poverty and doesn’t have five euros to eat, he obviously doesn’t have time to think about things that concern a good life. What we are trying to serve is that people gain access to the simple joys of life that the rest of us – by blessing or luck – still have. These are a visit to a museum, to a cinema, to a concert, to a theater…”, he adds. In this context, they began to deliver photography seminars to the people of the raft, resulting in thousands of photographs that constitute a unique social record.

Part of this work is presented from today in Thessaloniki, while some of the works were exhibited in the spring of 2015, at the Onassis Foundation’s Letters and Arts Shelter, but also as part of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in the same period. They are printed on metal surfaces, offering a perfect presentation of the photos.

“Looking at the photos, one will understand the mentality of these people ten years ago, in a period of crisis, when things were very difficult for Greek society as a whole. The images show impoverishment and decay, both social and economic, but there are also works that radiate dignity and respect and concern the man who does not give up, but still hopes, dreams, struggles”, adds Mr. Vianas.

Although in the ten years that have passed since these shots were taken, everyone’s lives have changed, what remains the same is the difficult reality that people who experience economic and social difficulties have to face, which is why the exhibition remains relevant.

Photographers are: Lefteris Eleftherakis, Bessy Zaharis, Yiannis Kotsos, Christos Bakoyannis, Alexandros Nanos, Matina Paschali, Iulia Symeonidou, Yiannis Fokas, Christos Dokalis, Nikos Kakavaladis, Fotini Ramavila.

The opening of the exhibition is today at 19:30, while it will remain in Telloglio until July 12. Opening hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9:00-14:00, Wednesday 9:00-14:00 & 17:00-21:00, Saturday & Sunday 10:00-18:00.