In Athens lies the Exarchia district, known for its students, artists, his left activism and his solidarity with refugees. There is a lot of vacancy and, partly due to the economic crisis in Greece, little is being done about it.
The city of Athens has become a place where many refugees are stranded; stuck in bureaucratic procedures, hoping for a better future. There is too little housing and employment, too much racism and a deep sense of uprooting. The left-wing Greek activists have squatted many buildings in the Exarchia district over the years. These were also opened to migrants in solidarity with refugees who had fled the camps on islands to Athens.
Due to the recent political shifts, since July 2019 almost all squats were evacuated in Exarchia where there were refugees, with a lot of police and military dominance and aggression. Refugees have been taken from Exarchia and squatters have been arrested. As a result tension in the neighborhood has increased. Many Greek residents are opposed to a new movement that wants to clean up the left-wing solidarity of Exarchia and make room for gentrification. However, solidarity among the less fortunate in the neighborhood remains strong.
In my images I tell about my experience with the locations and with the refugees who try to survive, especially in this part of the city. In my visual language I started looking for the feeling of ‘displacement’ by looking mainly at a harmony of places and a human presence.
