Pavlos Fysakis travelled to Norway, Russia, Greece and Portugal with the aim to take photos of the European "borders". Photos from his trip has been exhibited in Thessaloniki and Crete, and will from 14 to 29 December 2011 be exhibited in Athens at the Benaki Museum in Pireos street.
Fysakis' long journey resulted in a book Land Ends, released in 2009 on Babel publications. Read here an extrait from his book:
"For the Europeans the sense of a geographical end is imbued with a sense of finality, not beginning. As for borders, their function was always a positive one: to define their safe world. But how is a European identity defined? What is the limit, and what does it define?
Mageroya island. Honingsvag, the city close to Nordkapp. During the journey I am alone in a vast landscape. Just before I reach the end of the road I meet Nils Soby's family. They are Sami, natives. The northernmost Europeans. "When tourists visit, they remind me that I live at the end of Europe. I am proud to live here, it is important for me and for my family: I sell souvenirs and take care of my reindeer", he tells me.
Back in Honningsvag I meet the reverend Mogens L. Pedersen: In reality, in the winter we are isolated. There are no airplanes, just ships and the roads are closed because of the snow. But we have one another.
Hurtigruten, the ship of the North. I descend the fjord to Hammerfest, the big city, on Kvaløya isle. It is the northernmost city of Europe and one of the closest to the North Pole." Pavlos Fysakis.
Benaki museum
Pireos 138 & Andronikou
Tel: 210 34 53 111
Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday: 10:00-18:00
Friday, Saturday: 10:00-14:00
Monday, Tuesday: closed
The photo exhibition is supported by the Norwegian Embassy and the Norwegian Institute.