Opening Then and Again

Rethinking Ritual in Contemporary Balkans

The project Then and Again. Rethinking Ritual in Contemporary Balkans focuses on contemporary rituals in the societies of Southeastern Europe. As an essential part of human expression and communication behavior, “rituals” reveal a lot about values, role perceptions, and social interaction, whereby they have a regulating, supportive function. Social rituals are always accompanied by networks of relationships; there are also several rituals in which demonstrations of power, oppression, and exclusion are practiced. Are there typical recurring, individual or collective actions in our present, in our specific geographical region that function as “contemporary rituals”? What relevance do rituals have in modern society? Can rituals help to provide orientation, security, and a sense of community in an increasingly fragmented society? The group exhibition comprises new works by nine selected artists from various countries in Southeast Europe (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey) who work in the medium of photography or other lens-based media.

Artists:
Martin Atanasov, Ali Cem Doğan (Darağaç Collective), Armin Graca, Teodora Ivkov, Marietta Mavrokordatou, Luka Pešun, Marius Ionut Scarlat, Inmates of Chios Penitentiary and Stratis Vogiatzis, Gerta Xhaferaj

Curators:
Yorgos Prinos, Dimitris Tsoumplekas 
  A project by Goethe-Institut in collaboration with ΜΙΕΤ–National Bank of Greece 
Cultural Foundation, supported by MOMus–Thessaloniki Museum of Photography

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