Beyond Destruction - Rhodes, Thessaly, Evros

The culmination of the project "Beyond Destruction - Rhodes, Thessaly, Evros" was the exhibition of the same name, which was opened on 12 December 2024 at the Goethe-Institut Athen (open until 31 January 2025), where the extensive material from the field trip made by photographer Ilir Tsouko and writer Anja Troelenberg to the areas affected by the natural disasters in the summer of 2023 was presented to the public for the first time. Through photos, videos and stories, the very people who experienced the disaster were given a voice, capturing their contrasting emotions and experiences.

A number of people attended the opening of the exhibition, from friends and relatives of the two creators to people with important institutional roles. The most memorable and moving presences, however, were of some of the protagonists of the stories: the livestock farmer Vangelis Makris from Palamas, who saved 12 people on the night of the flood, and the forester Giorgos Pistolas from Alexandroupoli, who during the fire took a difficult decision and saved a large part of the forest.

The exhibition was organised by the Heinrich Böll Foundation - Thessaloniki Office, with the support of the Goethe-Institut Athen.