09 PERI PATRIS //
For the group exhibition ‘Peri Patris’ (transl: ‘For the Country’, Athens, 1996, curator Manos Stefanidis), Vrettos had worked on an installation of black and white photographs that he had made, in film, the early years of his career. The exhibition’s concept had to do with the ideas of nationality and ethnic identity. Vrettos placed his photos inside ordinary card boxes in a way that evoked the image of small devotional niches like the ones that are very common in Greek churches and cemeteries. Hang in a room totally dark otherwise the card boxes supported small candles which were the only light source for the photos. One could sense the irony with which the ideology of Greekness was addressed by the photographer, yet this was done in a very tender and subtle way.