Lost Things Found

Lost Things Found is the outcome of a long-term photographic project exploring the Eleonas flea market in Athens. It’s a photo book about the curious world of things: how they come together in the most unexpected and mind-boggling ways, telling stories about history, identity, and connection.

In the photographers own words: “On most Sundays, I start by crossing Iera Odos, just past the glistening metallic escalators of the Eleonas metro station and a lesser-known archaeological site covered by a thick dusty protective glass. Looking left, one can see the Parthenon on the horizon, unimpressively sticking out behind industrial steel roofs, commercial signs, and antennas.

(…) My reason for being here is to look at things: colors, words, and shapes constantly distract me, along with the warm sunlight casting shadows on every backdrop: there is little of what I see that I can predict. While looking, my mind often strays, only to be rushed back by someone waiting in line a moment later. There is so much here that reminds me of something else. Many times I’ve been tempted to buy something for no apparent reason. (…) There’s a joke going around Athens that everything you’ve ever lost eventually ends up in the market of Eleonas. Often you hear stories of apartments being looted for valuables immediately after their tenants are gone. But mostly it’s just business as usual: old stock of unsold products, food, clothes, tools, and everyday accessories, simply sold cheaper than market price. Most people spend most of their lives earning a living: one person’s loss is another’s gain. What someone has forgotten, another gets to remember”.