The international month of photo turns into festival

Annual Athens event gets new a identity

By Dimitris Rigopoulos - Kathimerini

What’s in a name? Is renaming an established event all that is necessary for its revamp?

The International Month of Photography changes identity this year, becoming the Athens Photo Festival. An initiative undertaken by the Greek Photography Center, it shows good intentions and ambition – for the time being at least.

The International Month of Photography turned 20 last year. It has been a long journey, but one which could never be criticized for lacking enthusiasm.

In any case, the Athens event is still the single most important event of its kind in the city and the only credible answer to Thessaloniki’s Photobiennale (formerly known as Photosynkyria).

Photography is one area where the two cities keep confronting each other, though not in the manner of soccer duels. In the last few years alone, the Photography Museum of Thessaloniki has enjoyed fruitful collaboration with the photo archive department of the Benaki Museum in Athens.

In this new chapter, the Athens Photo Festival will maintain the existing exhibition concept by presenting dozens of shows scattered around the city at museums, galleries and institutions.

This year’s central theme focuses on the Mediterranean, though other themes will also be included. Meanwhile, a series of parallel events will offer fresh insight, including portfolio reviews, lectures, workshops and screenings as well as a round-table discussion. With the bulk of events henceforth taking place in November, as opposed to October, the festival will be inaugurated on September 25 with an exhibition of works by American photographer of Greek descent Tod Papageorge. In terms of numbers, the upcoming event will feature 44 exhibitions showcasing works by over 200 artists at 30 venues. The organizers are hoping the changes will be reflected in terms of attendance – it is estimated that last year’s 40,000 visitors will climb to 50,000 this year.