Greek-American professor and journalist Dody Tsiantar presents her unique viewpoint on doors, particularly those found in Thessaloniki. She emphasizes this frequently neglected aspect of daily life through her photography exhibition entitled “Doors of Thessaloniki,” which is set to open next week at the Chalkos Gallery.
“Wherever I go, I photograph doors. For me, they give the image and flavor of a region. From a door you can understand the atmosphere and aura of a city”, Tsiantar tells the Athens-Macedonia News Agency (AMNA), adding that “in Thessaloniki, through its doors you can ‘read’ its history”.
“In Thessaloniki, doors are not simple. They reflect a character, a personality that, for me, is more interesting than in other cities. For example, I walked through the Jewish quarter and the former district of Exochi, and there I saw large doors that exude nobility, so that you can only imagine what they were like in their time,” she notes.
She compares it to some doors on islands, completely simple, to which you are attracted only by their insect blue or red color.
“In other neighborhoods of Thessaloniki, you come across doors from the 50s and 60s with a different style. Seeing them all together, you begin to understand the multi-layered history of the city,” she explains.
Tsiandar is a journalist with tenure in large-circulation publications (Washington Post, Time, and Newsweek) and a retired assistant professor at the Columbia University School of Journalism.
Although she grew up and lived in America, her roots are in Greece, since her father is from Patras, her grandparents from Kefalonia – originally from Malta – and her mother from Ioannina. She herself maintains close ties with Greece, which she visits every summer.
On a trip to Santorini several decades ago, she noticed a bright red door standing out among the white houses from above. She sought it out to photograph it, not knowing that this moment and this subject would develop into a photographic passion.
“I started taking it more seriously during the pandemic. Then, with the lockdown in New York, whenever I went out for a walk, I wanted to have a goal. So I started looking for doors,” she recalls.
She has photographed countless doors in Europe and America – and of course in many parts of Greece. “There is no specific criterion for what will attract me. It could be the color, the details, the overall image of the entrance, anything that catches my eye,” she emphasizes.
The first presentation of her work took place at the Greek embassy in the US, as part of the celebration of Europe Day. Over 4,000 visitors saw her photos and felt like they were “traveling” to Greece: Spetses, Sifnos, Kefalonia, Chania, Ioannina and Athens.
For the Greek-American journalist, doors are not just architectural details, but points of existential significance. She quoted an excerpt from a poem by William Blake: “In the universe, there are things we know and some we do not know. And in between are doors.”
“For me, the door symbolizes changes and opportunities. How many times in our lives do we not come across doors? Do we open them or do we pass by them out of fear?”, she wonders. Furthermore, as she notes, “each door is a call, it is as if it says ‘come in’. And it always has a mystery. You do not know what is behind it, who lived there, who lives now, who will live tomorrow.”
The exhibition “Doors of Thessaloniki” will open on Thursday, June 12, at Chalkos Gallery. It will run until June 26.
Related: The Beauty of Greek Doors in Washington Photo Exhibition
