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The following interpretations of Alexandros Georgiou's art work come from a unique project at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens (EMST) in 2017. Face Forward …into my home  was an interactive art project focused on the stories of people who have been forced to leave their homelands and were rebuilding their life in Greece. It included storytelling workshops inspired by a selection of contemporary artworks from the collection of EMST, the photo shooting of portraits, and a photography exhibition about and with refugees and asylum-seekers, then living in the greater Athens area. Link

Amin, Student / Iran

Other artworks created more pleasant feelings, such as the work of Alexandros Georgiou. At the beginning, I didn’t get that it was a temple, the Parthenon. I thought I saw something like the sun or a sunbeam emerging out of darkness.

Dabbas, 24 years old / Syria

…at the Museum, we saw contemporary art. For me, it was something completely new, and I was happy to have the chance to see and learn new things. From the works I saw, my favourite one was created by a Greek artist, Alexandros Georgiou, which is connected in some way to ancient Greece; it depicts the Parthenon. When I saw it, I thought of a Greek song, which always touches me.  I barely understand the lyrics, but the melody is traditional, as if coming from the old times, which I really like. I was told that it is traditional from Crete, and I recognize that there are many common musical instruments between this song and the traditional music of Syria. I’ve heard so many things about Crete, its music and generally the tradition of the island and I’d like some day to go there and get to know the place and its people. The song which Georgiou’s work brought to mind, performed by Nikos Xilouris, is the following:

Farewell

Have you learned, dear Aretousa, of my mournful fate?

Your Lord has exiled me to tread the earth of a foreign land.

He gave me but four days before I must depart

And make my way to a far and distant land.

But how can I bid farewell and from your side absent myself?

How can I live without you, how shall I endure this exile? […]

My dear Lady, I ask you grant me but one favor

And given this, glad at heart I will meet my end.

The hour you are betrothed, breathe a deep and heavy sigh

And when you don your bridal garments and another man’s wife become,

Utter this tearful cry:

“Poor Erotocritos, what I have pledged to you is now forgotten,

And what you hoped for shall never be.”

And in your chambers once each month

Remember what I endured for you and the pain my heart now feels.

And take out the sketch inside your chest,

And the songs I sang for you that you so loved.

And gaze upon them, and read them and remember me

And think upon my banishment in that far and distant land. […]

Bryan, Student / Zimbabwe

The work that stood out and which I liked the most was by Alexandros Georgiou. It depicts the Parthenon. Just as the artist painted the ancient temple in yellow and made it stand out from the rest of the image, which is gray, as if some light is glowing, I thought of the parables that Jesus told, sitting on a rock. Another thought that came to mind has to do with the strong foundations one must have in order to have a good future. Since the temple was built many centuries ago and is still there, it means it was built carefully and with strong foundations. We need to pay close attention to foundations because they will be our base in life. That is why school is my priority right now.

I also like to play football and I am good at this sport, but I believe that you have to try a lot of things in different fields to finally find which one you’re best at and then go on. My dream for my future is to study software engineering, but I remember my mother, who wanted me to become a doctor. She insisted on it. She believed it was more important to save human lives than to contribute to the development of technology. That’s why I will try to become a doctor. But first I need to see if I’m good at school and if I do well in the exams. What I know for sure is that I have long-term plans for my life. I want to enjoy my life, I am a dreamer and I am determined to succeed.

Carlos, 25 years old / Syria

A lot of times I can’t find a logical explanation for things. For example, when I got to Athens I didn’t expect to find this situation with drugs and garbage on so many of the city streets. It indicates how values have eroded. I don’t understand how this could happen in a country like Greece, with its history and with a culture that goes back to Antiquity. I think that’s what Alexandros Georgiou is exploring in his work. He colours the temple of the Parthenon in yellow and places it at the centre to show that culture and history are very important and can’t be erased, however much society has changed in the meantime, that they’ll always be there to bring people together.

Μaya, 26 years old / Tunisia

In Alexandros Georgiou’s work I could see cigarette butts, empty packets of medicine, and other garbage lying about. It could be a place that was destroyed in some war. At first, I couldn’t understand what this black-and-white environment had to do with the Parthenon, which is tinted gold. I thought maybe the work was talking about life itself, how anything can be destroyed unless it’s very strong. And symbols which have lasted throughout the ages are very strong; it’s the culture and values we’ve inherited from the past.

The surrounding black-and-white area represents the situation today, where people smoke and take drugs and pills because something isn’t right inside them. But it reminded me of something else, too. When I was 17 and still in my country, I was put in prison for about two months—that’s how they think people like me should be treated. And I remembered the people in the prison who smoked and took pills. That’s not who I am. I don’t belong there. Even in a place like prison, I felt there was something inside me that was still golden, like the Parthenon.

Reem, 26 years old / Syria

Speaking of religion, the work about Parthenon by Alexandros Georgiou made me think that even in our days, in times of crisis or war, people still resort to their temples – be it a mosque or a church – and pray. And while we all have this common feeling of faith in God, very bad things happen. I’ll tell you an example of what is happening in Syria: my family and I used to go to church every Sunday. We were advised not to go all together to the same church, but each to a different one, as attacks are frequent. Any moment an explosion can happen in a church, especially on feast days, so an entire family could be lost. We then started going to different churches, knowing that there was the possibility that a member of the family may not return home. It was terrible! Especially lately, we were going to church feeling tremendously afraid.

This is the situation in my country. Here, in Athens, I see other unpleasant things happening too. For example, I see young people doing drugs on the pavements.  This is something I have never seen before and it scares me. But I want to say that, as in Georgiou’s grey work, the Parthenon stands out in its shiny yellow colour, and each of us, whatever our religion, must strive for a positive change within. And dark as the way here has been, at the end of the tunnel there will always be light.

Idris, 17 years old / Afghanistan

The work of Alexandros Georgiou reminded me of some historical monuments in my country: the castle in my city, Herat, and the giant statue of Buddha in Bamiyan. A lot of people know them. They are the symbols of the two cities. Before the war, they were visited by many tourists. Now there are no tourists in Afghanistan.

War is destructive. It prevents a country from developing and showcasing its wealth and cultural heritage. The massive spending on war could instead be used for health and other beneficial purposes. After what we experienced in our country, we understand what a problem truly is. Anyone who has not experienced war is overwhelmed by what for us may be small problems.

At school, they ask me about what is happening in my country and I try to explain to them in any language I can, Greek or English. I am surprised that while the war in Afghanistan has been raging for over 30 years now, few people know about it here. Another misconception is its association with terrorism. But that is not the case.

Mo-Sabi, 19 years old / Iraq

When I first saw the piece by Alexandros Georgiou, I thought it showed Mount Olympus, where the ancient gods lived. Then I realized that he had taken a picture of a sidewalk, a dirty sidewalk with cigarette butts and other trash lying around. On those, he had placed the ancient temple, the Parthenon. It’s a very powerful image! The Parthenon is something that the whole world is familiar with. It’s an ancient Greek monument and it’s portrayed in juxtaposition with the trash, the cigarette butts and drug addiction. It’s very sad!

I know that Athena is the goddess of wisdom. I really like mythology. I know the story of King Gilgamesh, who lived in the region of present-day Iraq, I know all about Babylonian mythology but I have also learned a lot about Greek mythology, especially because of a video game I play, called “God of War.”.

We, today, haven’t gained anything from ancient culture. There used to be monumental civilizations, like ancient Greece, Babylon, Syria and other countries that have their own magnificent ancient culture, but it seems that we haven’t learned anything from all this. Whereas the US has a history of barely 400 hundred years and has progressed so much. Reem doesn’t agree with me, but it’s very nice to have a discussion and express our different views.

In Athens today there may be poverty, but at least there’s freedom. People are free to believe in any religion they want. It used to be the same in Iraq too, which is located in a region where great civilizations were born, where mathematics and philosophy were developed and where there was religious freedom. Now, however, there are disputes about religion and all freedoms have been compromised. For example, in my country it is not acceptable for me to wear an earring, to leave my hair long or to have a tattoo. This is something I don’t like at all, because I want to be free!

But that’s not all. There’s a lot of violence in everyday life, to such an extent that we’re almost used to it as if it were something normal. Imagine that there are snipers at different locations who can aim at you and kill you. One day, I had just gone through such a location, and I realized that something had fallen out of my pocket. I didn’t hesitate to pass again, risking my life, from where the sniper was, to pick it up. That’s how much we are used to the idea…

Reem, 23 years old / Syria

At first, I couldn’t figure out the artwork by Alexandros Georgiou. It looked like mountains, or ruins. Ruins from bombings. Then I realised that there was an archaeological element in yellow. Yellow symbolises light, something valuable, but also peace. From ancient civilizations, we have learnt everything. Had they not existed, we would not have progressed. Today’s culture would not have evolved so much. We are the continuation of ancient civilisations.

Zacharia, 46 years old / Syria

The art by Alexandros Georgiou makes me think of the current humanitarian crisis. The contrast of the dirty black and white spot he photographed, compared to the bright yellow temple, shows the contrast between the past and the present: the war has destroyed everything in its path and continues to do so. Three months ago the city where I was born, Afrin, was taken over by the army. It’s very sad.

But I still have hope for the future and I hope that it will be better than this, so children can live without guns around them.

Here I feel free to do what I want, as long as it does not harm the others. When I first arrived, I would say to people that I am a Christian Kurd. I was afraid that I would experience some form of racism here as well. But people responded that the importance lies in who I am, not in my religion. I like the fact that people here are more open minded.

Aboud, 26 years old / Syria

The work Athens, Parthenon by Alexandros Georgiou which talks about the consequences of the economic crisis in Greece, again made me think of the devastating consequences of the war in my country. The war, of course, is tougher than an economic crisis. This is why we are thankful to the Greek State and the Greek people who, despite all the problems they are faced with, they are for the most part hospitable and welcoming, without caring about our religion or our nationality. There are many rich countries that spend billions on wars, yet did not take in a single refugee. Not even some Arab countries who speak the same language as us and should have treated us like brothers. In contrast, in Greece we can enjoy some of the rights of Greek citizens, such as education and health care, and we are very grateful for that. And this is what our children will remember in the future.

Aboud, 26 years old / Syria

The work Athens, Parthenon by Alexandros Georgiou which talks about the consequences of the economic crisis in Greece, again made me think of the devastating consequences of the war in my country. The war, of course, is tougher than an economic crisis. This is why we are thankful to the Greek State and the Greek people who, despite all the problems they are faced with, they are for the most part hospitable and welcoming, without caring about our religion or our nationality. There are many rich countries that spend billions on wars, yet did not take in a single refugee. Not even some Arab countries who speak the same language as us and should have treated us like brothers. In contrast, in Greece we can enjoy some of the rights of Greek citizens, such as education and health care, and we are very grateful for that. And this is what our children will remember in the future.

Farida, 28 years old / Afghanistan

The work with the Parthenon struck me as a very good idea for the artist to talk about the years of crisis in Greece. In our country the war has left similar scars. In Kabul, where I was born, there is a palace that was destroyed by the bombing and it has been left like that, abandoned for years. It’s scary to even pass by it. I often went by it on my way to visit an aunt.

I was little when we left Kabul to go to Herat. Like all girls there, I didn’t go to school. We were at risk of being caught on the street, raped and have very bad things happen to us. For boys life was completely different. My eldest brother had progressed with his studies. But they killed him. We weren’t safe there at all. Even our relatives belonged to hostile groups and that was a big problem. That’s why we fled to Iran, where we stayed for two years. Then my aunt asked me to marry her son and we got married in Kabul.

Although we were away for two years, they managed to find us and hunt us down again. The rest of the family went to Tajikistan to save themselves. Unfortunately, they found us and killed my husband. Now you understand why I made this whole journey with five children. If we had stayed there they would have killed my second husband as well, who is the brother of my first husband. In Afghanistan, this is the custom we follow when a woman loses her husband.

Here we’re safe. I’m happy with my husband who looks after all five children and doesn’t single them out. And he takes good care of me as well. He is aware of the pain I’ve suffered and wants me to be happy. Most men in Afghanistan are not like this. Women must get permission to go outside and always have to wear a headscarf. Otherwise they may be looked down upon and get caught by the Talibans and then … it’s the end. I think you’ve seen what happens.

In Greece, women are allowed to do everything that men do. Each religion is different, but we humans are all the same and we can learn from each other. Khalida doesn’t want to marry young like me. She wants to study, to become a lawyer. I’ve often been told by the school that my daughter is a very good student and learns easily.

I feel proud that I managed to bring my children here so they can live freely and build their future.

Khalida, student / Afghanistan

Once, while in Athens for an asylum interview, we had been given a room to stay in a hotel overlooking the Acropolis. I have never been to the Acropolis but I was able to see it from the hotel window, which is why I was also able to recognise the Parthenon in the work of Alexandros Georgiou3. It was like it had been put on top of a pile of rocks and garbage.