1922-2022:
Waves of Refugee, Alloys of Memory
86th Thessaloniki International Fair, 2022
1922-2022:
Waves of Refugee, Alloys of Memory
86th Thessaloniki International Fair, 2022
Participation in the complete graphic museological design of the major anniversary exhibition for the centenary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe. Developed within the 86th Thessaloniki International Fair, the exhibition was grounded in an original curatorial concept I proposed — a wave-inspired system governed by the laws of physics, reflecting the emotional resonance and historical weight of the refugee experience.
Exhibits were arranged to leave behind a visual imprint and create fluctuations in narrative intensity, depending on their emotional value, supporting and deepening the overarching exhibition storyline.
Visual Identity
The visual identity and logo of the exhibition were inspired by a powerful image: a refugee mother holding her child — a symbol drawn from the archival visual material and the expressive faces featured in the exhibition. This central figure evolved into an abstract, wave-like form, representing both the Motherland and the emotional currents of forced migration. Her headscarf, stylized as a continuous wave, carries the spirit and memory of place as it flows across the exhibition space.
Black was chosen as the dominant color, signifying the mourning and darkness of war — a somber chapter in Greek history. Gold, used as a secondary element, honors the centenary but also evokes the enduring cultural richness that the Asia Minor refugees brought to Greece — new flavors, perspectives, and a lasting legacy of refinement.