BABAK SALARI EXHIBITION OPENING
The exhibition of the photographs of the internationally renowned Iranian/Canadian photographer Babak Salari opened at the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 18, in a particularly warm atmosphere. Present was the Artistic Director of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Dimitri Eipides.
In her greeting, the president of the MMCA, Xanthippe Hoypel, welcomed the distinguished artist to the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art and noted: “The artist’s Iranian roots and his memories can’t be erased, a fact which is vividly present in his photographs. We thank Babak Salari for being with us today, and the Documentary Festival for choosing this particular exhibition”.
Dimitri Eipides spoke right after, stressing that Babak Salari, through his photographs, brings the viewer in immediate contact with the problems and issues of his subjects. “We see the financial, social and political problems these people are dealing with reflected in the faces of the people Salari photographs”, Mr. Eipides noted.
The Ambassador of Canada in Greece, Dr. Renata Wielgosz, then spoke about the power of the image in visual narration, and the importance of photographic documents. “Babak Salari tells the stories of everyday people in his photographs, people who face hardship and war. The humanitarian actions of Canada and Greece are aimed at countries that are being affected by military conflicts and poverty, such as those we see in these photographs. Such photographs touch society and lead to action”, Dr. Renata Wielgosz stressed.
Finally, Babak Salari thanked the 11th Documentary Film Festival and its staff and volunteers who worked on his photographic exhibition, the MMCA for hosting his photographs, and the Embassy of Canada in Greece.
