“Antithesis” Exhibition

This exhibition is conceptually based on the idea of contrasts which shape the urban space as a social construct, evolving through the different versions of identity that coexist in the city over time; the main stations being the foundation of ancient Piraeus in the 5th c. B.C. and the re-establishment of the city in the 19th century.

Different stories give different meaning to the exhibits of the permanent collection and integrate them in a new conceptual framework emphasising the importance of the relationship between the image of the city and its inhabitants. It aims at highlighting the forces, old and new, which shape the forms of social division over time and relate to wealth, forms of individual freedom and their ability or not to participate in various aspects of social life. Piraeus after WW II and until 1970 is shown through clips of classic Greek films such as “Lily of the harbour” (1952), “Lola” (1964), “Never on Sunday” (1960), etc.