Thessaloniki Photobiennale 2023

The event presents more than 100 photographers and artists from 18 countries in a multi-thematic programme of 25 exhibitions, open public events, and educational activities hosted in 19 museums, cultural venues, and art venues in Thessaloniki and Athens.

Overview

The Thessaloniki Photobiennale, organised by MOMus and curated by the MOMus-Thessaloniki Museum of Photography, completes its thirty-fifth anniversary in 2023. It is an important stage for the presentation of contemporary and historical Greek photography while being a vital crossroad with the international scene.

This year, the main exhibition entitled “The Spectre of the People” is curated by the art historian, photographer, and curator Julian Stallabrass. Hosted at the MOMus-Thessaloniki Museum of Photography and the MOMus- Experimental Center for the Arts, the exhibition explores populism through photography and video. As the spectre of populism stalks the Earth, artists have grappled with its myriad dimensions: how and if to represent ‘the people’ (should they be thought to exist), and to represent democratic power, the nature of charismatic leaders, and popular protest and insurgency. The media of the lens, woven tightly around the history of mass politics since its inception, has been a natural field for this artistic exploration, which is variously documentary, performative, satirical, and conceptual.

The exhibitions’ programme of the Thessaloniki Photobiennale 2023 also includes group and individual shows of emerging and established photographers, from historical to contemporary, and a selection of the Greek photobook scene in the last twenty years. Parallel events, educational activities, and guided tours complete the programme.