Panagiotis Papoutsis | Mabuhay

The Ampelokipi area has been an important place of residence for the Filipino community in Athens for many decades. This community has approximately 10,000 members, who contribute significantly to the formation of the social identity of the area. The first generation Filipinos who reside in Athens maintain close contact with their homeland on an emotional, communicative and economic level. They use their mother tongue, where possible, work hard and save. Thus, they support their relatives in the Philippines with remittances and offer their children a decent living and education, hoping for a better future. The second and especially the third generation of Filipinos adopt a more modern, personal culture compared to their ancestors, intertwined with the standards of their time. The photographic exhibition “Mabuhay” consists mostly of photographic portraits of Filipino immigrants in Athens in outdoor spaces in the Ampelokipi area. A smaller percentage of the series includes still life images from indoor and outdoor spaces where they are active. The term “Mabuhay” means long live or may you live and is often used as a greeting of hospitality or a wish, such as welcoming at reception events, celebrations and official ceremonies. The strong religiosity of Filipinos is evident in their social behavior and is reflected in their body language, as their physical posture refers to prayer. Furthermore, their calm gazes exude spirituality, as if they are praying. In the still life images, the choice of cultural and religious objects refers aesthetically and conceptually to the values ​​of the community and to their homeland, the Philippines. Panagiotis Papoutsis’ photographic work constitutes a visual map of the Filipino community in Athens, a mosaic of everyday moments, routes carved into the urban grid, and faces that tell a story of migration, resilience, and identity. Each image functions as a window into a parallel city, an invisible geography that captures the dynamic coexistence of two worlds. This is a photographic series that is not limited to depiction, but shapes a new, hybrid geography, where Athens and Manila intersect, converse, and coexist, highlighting the invisible paths of migration within the body of the city of Athens. (Ioannis Fetanis)...more