Menelaos Karamaghiolis with Three Films on the Rooftop of EMST
As part of the exhibition “Why Look at Animals” at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, works by Karamaghiolis about all kinds of “strays.”
By Lida Galanou
Every summer, the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) gives its rooftop a name and cinematic meaning with the CineFIX screenings (a nod to the old FIX beer factory where the museum is housed).
This year, the screenings are linked to the major exhibition “Why Look at Animals”, hosting — on August 21 at 21:00— three films by Menelaos Karamaghiolis and a conversation with the filmmaker.
The screening includes three of Karamaghiolis’ films that shed light on aspects of coexistence, dependency, and care between humans and animals — through a social, political, and existential lens.
Based on true stories, these works explore issues of abandonment, solidarity, and companionship in a world where marginalized lives — human and non-human alike — struggle to claim space and voice.
Greek Animal Rescue
2017 – Documentary – Duration: 64’ (Greek & English subtitles)
A stray, abused, severely ill, three-legged dog abandoned in an industrial wasteland in Aspropyrgos; a London-based animal rescue charity working for Greece’s strays; and a group of young volunteers patrolling Aspropyrgos to care for abandoned animals — these are the protagonists of the film, set in a nightmarish area that has become a hell for many abandoned animals.
Is there a way for the sick hunting dog with three legs to find a home, recover, and run again in the fields of Essex?
Why are stray dogs from Greece — the so-called “Greekies” — so popular for adoption abroad?
In an unexpected finale, the film seeks to discover whether there is hope not only for the doomed dogs but also for a condemned region on the outskirts of Athens.
A cinematic allegory based on true stories unfolding in “invisible” neighborhoods around Athens — places usually ignored both by Athenians and tourists. The stories of these stray animals precisely capture what was happening in crisis-era Greece and inspired a London-based animal welfare group to launch a pan-European campaign aimed at political awareness for those living “protected” and isolated in big cities.
Filmed over five years in Athens, London, and the Thriasio Plain (Aspropyrgos, Elefsina, Roma camps) with “stolen” shots as part of the Ghosts of Aspropyrgos animal rescue initiative, the documentary was also released in an interactive version with augmented material — 17 short films — sparking strong engagement with animal welfare groups in Greece and abroad, and vibrant discussions with audiences after screenings.
It was the starting point for the multimedia collective project “Greekies”, an ongoing work since 2011, created by Karamaghiolis’ collective Documatism and ten visual artists, filmmakers, and creators.
This artistic practice, developed in collaboration with five animal welfare organizations, is based on moving images that trigger public actions — concerts, workshops, dance battles, murals, exhibitions, public dialogues, and screenings in unexpected places such as Roma settlements and prisons.
These actions are filmed and, along with extensive interviews and research, form an open-access audiovisual archive.
Should Disabled Animals Put to Sleep?
2023 – Digital video – Single channel – Color – Stereo sound – Duration: 17′ 20” (English subtitles)
A plumber cannot bear to see disabled animals euthanized before their time, simply because animal wheelchairs are expensive and hard to obtain from abroad.
The film follows his journey over eight years, along with the stories of Aris — a stray who lost his hind legs just after finding a family — and Maria, another stray hit by a car outside the National Rehabilitation Center in Ilion.
The three protagonists redefine the notions of disability and solidarity, raising serious ethical questions about euthanasia.
A Bird in Search of a Cage
2012–2019 – Digital video – Single channel – Color – Stereo sound – Duration: 11’ 26’’ (English subtitles)
A juvenile inmate raises inside his cell a bird that flies freely outside its cage and becomes his best “friend” — and a symbol of freedom within the prison.
Filmed over five years in a juvenile prison, the film gradually shows the young prisoner transforming into a kind of “warden” himself, as he realizes that his first emotional and sexual stirrings might unsettle the bird — which could fly away and leave the cell they share.
Article on “FLIX.gr” by Lida Galanou, 13/08/25
https://flix.gr/news/menelaos-karamaghiolis-why-look-at-animals.html
