31.5.2022

A biography of Dimitsana. From the photo archive of Michalis Panagopoulos Exhibition in the Open-Air Water Power Museum

A biography of Dimitsana. From the photo archive of Michalis Panagopoulos Exhibition in the Open-Air Water Power Museum

The exhibition is extented until January, 30 2023


The Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation (PIOP) and the Conference and Cultural Centre of Dimitsana present the temporary exhibition titled “A biography of Dimitsana. From the photo archive of Michalis Panagopoulos” in the Open-Air Water Power Museum in Dimitsana. The exhibition is organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and coincides with the 25-year anniversary of the Museum.

Through the work of photographer Michalis Panagopoulos (1888-1956) from Dimitsana, aspects of the cultural and social transformation of Dimitsana during its recent history are highlighted. Panagopoulos was the only photographer active in Dimitsana in 1920-1950. It was the time of significant change that signalled the town’s transition from the traditional social and cultural structures to post-modernity and paved the way for Dimitsana’s subsequent development. Having lived in cosmopolitan Smyrna before the Asia Minor Catastrophe, Panagopoulos learned the secrets of the art of photography in Athens and returned to his birthplace in 1923. Until the day he died, through his lens he immortalized people, landscapes and the daily life of a place in constant transformation.

The exhibition presents original material from the photographer’s archive which is part of the Photo Archive of the Conference and Cultural Centre of Dimitsana. It sheds light on basic aspects of daily life and local society, such as agricultural work and occupations, customs and practices, social events, scenes from school life, anniversaries and celebrations. It also presents events and innovations that redeemed people’s lives and influenced the structures and perceptions that had been deeply entrenched until then, touching upon key issues for the historic evolution of the country such as domestic and overseas migration, the demands of local society for sustainability and development etc. In addition to the authentic photographs, the exhibition presents the professional equipment and personal objects of Michalis Panagopoulos combined with visual material, oral narratives, audiovisual and digital interactive applications.

The exhibition outlines the image of Dimitsana under development as well as that of the photographer who captures the process. In parallel, it emphasizes the importance of the art of photography in safeguarding collective memory, while giving visitors the chance to reconsider Dimitsana’s contemporary cultural identity.

- A biography of Dimitsana. From the photo archive of Michalis Panagopoulos

Open-Air Water Power Museum

Duration of the exhibition: 1η June-31 December 2022
The exhibition is extented until January, 30 2023
Opening hours: Daily, except Tuesday, 10:00-18:00 (until 15/10), 10:00-17:00 (from 16/10)

Closed: 7 July (local feast day), 15 August, 25-26 December

For contributors press here

*The management of records, classifications and documentations for the Michalis Panagopoulos Archive, according to the International Standard Archival Description (ISAD), is the scientific contribution by the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation (PIOP) to the Conference and Cultural Centre of Dimitsana (CCCD). The project was realized during 2020-2022 in the framework of the cooperation between the two entities regarding the safeguarding and promotion of the archive, including archival work (PIOP Historical Archive) as well as collaborative promotion activities (PIOP Museums Department / Open-air Water Power Museum, Dimitsana).

Open-Air Water Power Museum

Kefalari Aï-Yianni,, Dimitsana 220 07

Τ: 27950 31630 | www.piop.gr