AKROVOLISTES/SKIRMISHERS CURATED BY CHRISTINA PETKOPOULOU

Tracing the footsteps of the soldiers of the French colonial forces who served on the Macedonian Front
during the First World War, AKROVOLISTES/SKIRMISHERS uncovers overlooked chapters in the history of
Western Macedonia, and more specifically of the city of Florina. Drawing on original archival material, the
exhibition at the Archaeological Museum of Florina brings together a photography installation by visual
artist and photographer Yiannis Hadjiaslanis, a performance by musician and visual artist Maria Sideri in
collaboration with trumpeter Antonis Kostopoulos, and theatre-based workshops for children and
adolescents designed by Chara Lioliou.

The exhibition centres on the soldiers of the Tirailleurs Sénégalais (Senegalese Riflemen), who travelled
thousands of kilometres from France’s West-African colonies, traversing geographical and cultural lengths
before arriving in the unfamiliar landscape of Florina during a decisive period in the region’s
transformation throughout the First World War. While dominant accounts of modern Greek history have
largely been framed through the geopolitical axis of East and West and the histories of powerful actors,
how were these upheavals experienced at the local level, in collective and personal memory? Do great
historical events leave their traces upon the mountains? Can the landscape itself become a living archive
of historical rupture? The artistic and curatorial research sought to listen to testimonies that linger like
whispers: those of water, forests, animals and mountain peaks; of their sounds, and of the voices of the
human and more-than-human communities that inhabited or passed through this land.

On Friday, 10 July, and Saturday, 11 July, at 7:00 p.m., the performance Qui va vous chanter? will be
presented by visual artist Maria Sideri in collaboration with musician Antonis Kostopoulos. On the same
dates, at 11:00 a.m., theatre educator Chara Lioliou will lead a two-hour theatre workshop for children
and teenagers, titled Written in the Snow, at the Archaeological Museum of Florina. The workshop draws
on original archival material from the collection of the Folklore Museum of the Florina Cultural Club.
The production is presented as part of the Ministry of Culture’s “All of Greece, One Culture” 2026
programme.

The event is offered free of charge by the Ministry of Culture. Participants are only required to pay the
archaeological site’s admission fee of €5, which applies to visitors over the age of 25. Participation in
the workshops is free of charge.

ΑΚΡΟΒΟΛΙΣΤΕΣ/SKIRMISHERS

Archaeological Museum of Florina (3, Sidirodromikou Stathmou, Florina)
Οpening: 10-11 July 2026, 19:00
Duration: 10 July-30 August 2026
Photography Installation: Yiannis Hadjiaslanis
Performance: Maria Sideri in collaboration with musician Antonis Kostopoulos
Theater Workshops (10-11/7, 11:00-13:00): Chara Lioliou
Curated by: Christina Petkopoulou
Production Assistants: Efthymia Tseprailidou, George Toulios

*Christina Pektopoulou is ARTWORKS Fellow & Maria Sideri is ARTWORKS Grantee