Crafts of the Sea: Paros

September 17-21, 2024
Agios Athanasios Gallery
Naousa, Paros
Opening hours: 19:00-22:00 

Open air screening:
September 20
Naousa Marina

Curation: Maurizio Borriello and Jacob Moe
Production: Archipelago Network

in collaboration with the Municipality of Paros
and Kapetaneika 2024

with the support of the Costas M. Lemos Foundation, Goethe-Institut Athen, and Archipelago Network’s benefactors’ circle

In conjunction with the annual “Kapetaneika” traditional boat regatta, Archipelago Network presents Crafts of the Sea: Paros, taking place from September 17 to 21 at the Agios Athanasios Gallery of Naousa. The exhibition celebrates boatbuilding, fishing and seafaring heritage across the Cycladic islands of Amorgos, Koufonisia, Paros, Santorini and Syros, while interrogating current challenges faced by these boatbuilding and fishing communities. 

“Our boats used to bring goods to and from the islands. Barley, flour, wine and so on. And then things changed… and they began transporting materials for construction, cement, bricks etc.” Manolis Zisimopoulos, a Paros cargo captain, describes the shifts in regional trade over the course of his fifty years at sea. Today, Paros, like many other Aegean islands, is at a critical juncture: degradation of natural resources and uncontrolled touristic development pose imminent threats to the island’s landscape, marine environment and social fabric. Meanwhile, government-sponsored subsidies initiated to prevent overfishing have led to the destruction of the majority of traditional Greek wooden fishing boats since the 2000s.

Following presentations in Amorgos and Athens, this third iteration of Crafts of the Sea invites residents and visitors to explore the region’s maritime heritage, including photographic archival installations by Jacob Moe and documentary photographs by Maurizio Borriello. In the context of the exhibition, an open-air screening presents a series of documentary shorts produced by Archipelago Network about boatbuilders, fishers and cargo captains in Paros and other Cycladic islands. Together, these materials highlight the technical and cultural significance of these maritime trades, advocating for a future seen with, and from, the sea.