11th TDF - OPENING OF VASIA PELEGRATI'S EXHIBITION (3/14/2009)

OPENING OF VASIA PELEGRATI’S EXHIBITION “MALAWI – THE WARM HEART OF AFRICA”

On Saturday, March 14th the opening of Vasia Pelegrati’s photography exhibition “Malawi – The Warm Heart of Africa” took place in a particularly warm atmosphere. The exhibition is a sidebar event of the 11th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival - Images of the 21st Century.

Dimitri Eipides, the Artistic Director of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, after being guided through the exhibition by the artist, noted: “We are all impressed by the quality of her work. It is a sensitive portrayal of Africa and coincides with the central theme of our program, the tribute to the directors and documentaries from the Dark Continent”.

Photographer Vasia Pelegrati spoke next, obviously moved: “I found myself in Malawi, in that corner of the world, in order to live a unique experience and to be taught the basic values of life that we have forgotten, such as simplicity and being in touch with yourself”.

Vasia Pelegrati spent seven months in Malawi, one of the ten poorest countries on the planet, as collaborator to an international NGO. Her lens captured the difficulties of daily life in one of the country’s most remote areas, Chiwamba, where people have to deal with malnutrition and the forces of nature.

The “Malawi – The Warm Heart of Africa” exhibition will be at the Gallery Kalfayian until April 4, 2009.