“Giannis and Miltos Manakia: The Faces Behind the Lens” – Pristina

The exhibition “Giannis and Miltos Manakia: The Faces Behind the Lens” was held in Pristina from 25 April to 5 May 2023, in collaboration between the Foundation of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle and Modern History of Macedonia (IMMA) and the Greek Liaison Office in Pristina. The exhibition was hosted at the National Library “Pjetër Bogdani” in Pristina. The opening took place on Tuesday, 25 April, at 6 p.m. The exhibition was inaugurated by the Head of the Greek Liaison Office in Pristina, Ambassador Ms. Eleni Vakali, and was greeted by the Kosovar Prime Minister, Mr. Albin Kurti. Among those present at the opening were former President Ms. Atifete Jahjaga, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Mr. Hajrulla Ceku, Ambassadors and other representatives of Diplomatic Missions, academic institutions, and civil society.

The exhibition successfully presented to the wider public of Kosovo a large collection of photographs from the personal archive of Leonidas Manakis, son of Miltos Manakia, donated to IMMA by Ambassador (ret.) Mr. Alexandros Mallias. The Manakia brothers, originally from Avdella in Grevena, travelled across the countryside and major urban centers of the Balkans, documenting the lives of working people, moments of leisure and entertainment, as well as architectural landmarks, historical and social events that marked the changes of the first half of the 20th century. The photographs are connected to the geographic space and fertile lands of Macedonia, Epirus, and Thessaly, the livestock and agricultural activities carried out there, as well as the social relationships between people, depicted through ceremonies, events, and festivals.

The Manakia brothers’ work can be divided into two periods: the Ioannina period (1898–1904/1905) and the period in which they were active in Plovdiv and Monastir (Bitola). In this second period, the brothers matured artistically and documented both the political and cultural identity of the peoples of the Balkans. Their work captures the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the First World War, as well as the customs and traditions of the region’s people. During these two periods, the Manakia brothers produced more than 12,000 photographs.

The exhibition was accompanied by a luxury bilingual album (Greek and English), which includes the photographs presented in the exhibition, as well as additional photographs from the personal archive of Leonidas Manakis, donated to IMMA by Ambassador (ret.) Mr. Alexandros Mallias.

The project was implemented with funding from the Ministry of Culture, which covered the costs of digital and graphic printing, framing, translation of the exhibition content, and publication of the luxury bilingual album.

Exhibition Contributors

Exhibition Curation:

• Stavroula Mavrogeni, Professor at the University of Macedonia, Director of the Centre for Research of Macedonian History and Documentation (KEMIT)

• Fani Tsatsaia, Art Historian, PhD Candidate in Modern History (AUTH), Director of the Foundation of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle and Modern History of Macedonia (IMMA)

Research:

• Silia Fasianou, Archaeologist, Cultural Heritage Manager / IMMA

Digitization:

• Seagull Space

Administrative Support:

• Kalypso Tryfonaki

Graphic Design:

• Viki Xinou, Purple design & more

Translation:

• Fani Karamanoli