Site-specific exhibition on Chios explores migration through Ottoman-era venues

The exhibition titled 'My Past is a Foreign Country' took place at DEO Projects in Chios from 8 July to 28 August. Curated by DEO Projects, the event showcased site-specific artworks by artists hailing from Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, and Iran, all displayed in historic locations within Chios's walled castle. Among the featured pieces were Avish Khebrehzadeh's 'Red Paintings' (2014), which portray Iranian political prisoners, and Maro Michalakakos's 'To All of Us' (2023), reflecting themes of uprootedness. Hera Büyüktaşcıyan's 'An Ode To A Distant Spring' (2023) alludes to absent water flows, while Aykan Safoğlu's 'Sweat Poems (1st Variation)' (2023) delves into queer desire. Additional works included Yorgos Petrou's 'Body Knows That Too' (2023), Nikomachi Karakostanoglou's 'Cross Section' (2023), and Petros Moris's 'Sphinx (Waves Whisper Woes)' (2023), which honor migrant lives.