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Great and Tiny Homelands
Former Soviet Union
Tsichistzvari, Tsalka, Zugdidi, Detrischarou and Tbilisi in Georgia.
Sparta and Tscherkesk in South Russia.
Panfilova, Shymkent and Taras in Kazakhstan.
Sartana in Ukraine and Tashkent in Uzbekistan.
1995 - 1998
Georgia in 1995, North Russia in 1996, Ukraine in 1997, Kazakstan and Uzbekistan in 1998
Main Exhibition and Book
In 1997, part of the project was showcased in the “Female Photographers” group exhibition, organized by "Thessaloniki Capital of the World" at HELEXPO exhibition Center, and the photo book “Greeks of the Diaspora” was published.
Greeks of the diaspora
What began as a purely photographic project gradually evolved as I became more interested in the personal stories of the people I met, leading me to conduct interviews alongside my photography. On each trip, I made a conscious effort to stay with Greek families, allowing me to get closer to my subjects and their everyday lives. Their warmth and openness were deeply moving, often making me feel like a displaced relative returning home.
The great and tiny homelands of the Pontian Greeks who continue to live in the countries comprising the former Soviet Union are diverse. Most of the people feel that they have two countries: one of their real lives, of their labors and of their childhood, and one of their ancestors, of myth and of their hopes and expectations. Some have moved many times, usually against their will and, in some cases, they have acquired more tiny homelands in their life.
What connects the people I photographed is their love of Greece and their need to live in a country that will not turn them away because of their nationality.
