1.11.2024

“Eleni Ginou | Africa | People and Jewels | Journey–Photography” in the Silversmithing Museum

“Eleni Ginou | Africa | People and Jewels | Journey–Photography” in the Silversmithing Museum

The Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation presents the temporary exhibition “Eleni Ginou | Africa | People and Jewels | Journey – Photography” in the Silversmithing Museum.

Thirty-eight photographs from Eleni Ginou's travels in Africa as well as part of an impressive collection of jewellery acquired during her travels there form the heart of the exhibition. Made from natural materials such as ostrich eggs, shells and stones, the jewels "narrate" the history of the tribe, community or country from which they come. They are presented as a talisman, a wedding gift, a weapon, a sign of each ethnicity, a religious message or a social status, highlighting the customs, traditions and everyday life of the people who wear them.

Photographs and jewels "bear" the experiences and memories of the traveller, thus presenting stories of people she met and the cultural richness of African jewellery making. In Mauritania, in the city of Butilimit, famous for silversmithing, she met Mohammed, the best craftsman of silverware with wood, while in her contact with the Karo tribe she saw young women dancing and playing music with their bracelets made of silver and alpaca.

Collecting jewellery, although inextricably linked to Eleni Ginou's travels, is not an end in itself. It is an occasion for communication, an opportunity for human contact, an invisible thread that always connects her to Africa and its people.


Duration of the exhibition: 6 November 2024 until 6 January 2025
Opening hours: Daily, except Tuesday, 10:00-17:00
Closed: 25-26 December, 1 January
See the creative team of the exhibition here

PIOP | The Silversmithing Museum
Acropolis of Its Kale, Castle of Ioannina
Τ: 2651064065 | www.piop.gr