Βoulevard de la société des nations

The exhibition and the opening day symposium complement the initiatives of a group of faculty members from the School of Architecture at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). The team consists of: Nikos Kalogirou, Maria Dousi, Dimitris Thomopoulos, Dimitris Kontaxakis, Sofoklis Kotsopoulos, and Themistoklis Chatzigiannopoulos. They were selected by the Ministry of Environment and Energy to represent Greece at the 2021 Venice Biennale of Architecture, with the national commissioner being the General Scretary for Spatial Planning and Urban Environment, Efthymios Bakogiannis.

In search of an alternative response to the Biennale’s question, “How will we live together?”, within the framework of a new spatial social contract, the project presented was The Grand Gesture of the Aristotelous Axis in Thessaloniki — designed by architect and urban planner Ernest Hébrard. Evolving over the course of a century, it became a multicultural crossroad and a key element in the city’s radical urban modernization.

In 2021, two parallel exhibitions were held in Venice and Thessaloniki. The exhibition at the Greek Pavilion in Venice focused on the current function of Aristotelous Street, highlighting the spatial coexistence of residents, visitors, migrants, and refugees. The exhibition at Bey Hamam presented a visual documentation that emerged from workshops conducted by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), with student participation, focusing on the emblematic transverse axis of the city.

Two publications were released: the book The Palimpsest of Aristotelous: Byzantine Visions and Eclectic Localism, and a bilingual catalog enriched with expert perspectives, proposals from invited participants, and annotated visuals from both exhibitions.

Greece’s participation in the Biennale was funded by the Ministry of Environment and Energy (ΥPEN) through the NSRF 2014–2020. The collaboration of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), the Ephorate of Antiquities of the City of Thessaloniki, the Municipality, and the Thessaloniki History Center was invaluable.

This initiative was a collaboration between the Hellenic Institute of Architecture (HIA) and the Benaki Museum. It constituted a reconstruction and commentary in the form of a meta-exhibition. It included fragments from the Aristotelous mosaic displayed in Venice, contributions and proposals from invited participants, models and documentation presented in Thessaloniki, as well as related annotated visuals.

The main event was the full-day opening ceremony, featuring presentations, lectures, and activities.

Co – organization:
Hellenic Institute of Architecture
Benaki Museum
Ministry of Environment & Energy
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Supporters:
Thessaloniki International Fair
Municipality of Thessaloniki

Sponsors:
Lamda Development
ALUMIL Aluminium Systems
Ballian Techniki S.A.

*Photographs: L.Kourgiantakis

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