WHY LOOK AT ANIMALS? | ΕΜΣΤ
Why Look at Animals? A Case for the Rights of Non-Human Lives is a major exhibition at the National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens (EMΣT). Taking John Berger’s seminal 1977 essay as its point of departure, the exhibition examines the evolving relationship between humans and animals, bringing together works by more than 60 international artists across photography, painting, sculpture, film and installation. Through themes of domestication, exploitation, empathy and extinction, it raises urgent questions about human dominance over the natural world and our ethical responsibilities towards other species.
Curated by artistic director Katerina Gregos, the exhibition reflects the wider vision that Gregos has brought to EMΣT: a museum that engages critically with the political, social and ecological questions shaping contemporary life. Under her leadership, EMΣT has developed an internationally oriented programme that places particular emphasis on underrepresented artistic perspectives, overlooked histories and the relationship between art and the most pressing issues of our time. Why Look at Animals? exemplifies this approach, using contemporary culture to challenge established ways of thinking and encourage a more empathetic understanding of the world we inhabit.
My work with EMΣT began in 2022, supporting the museum’s international communications and helping to strengthen its visibility and reputation beyond Greece. Over the years, this relationship has given me a deeper understanding of the museum’s evolving programme, its curatorial priorities and artistic director Katerina Gregos’s vision for an institution that engages meaningfully with the world around it. What I particularly appreciate is the ambition, complexity and daring of the curatorial programme, and the opportunity it offers to introduce international journalists to important and fascinating artists whose work they may not previously have encountered. It is particularly rewarding to help bring these artistic perspectives to wider audiences and encourage conversations that extend beyond the art world.
For Why Look at Animals?, my focus was to identify editorial narratives that would appeal to journalists across different fields, from contemporary art and culture to ecology, animal rights and environmental issues. This involved developing targeted media outreach, drawing connections between the exhibition and current debates, and creating opportunities for journalists to explore its themes in greater depth.