Artists in Greece help support, raise funds for Doctors Without Borders

ATHENS, March 16 (Xinhua) — Art and solidarity come together in a
fundraising exhibition that was inaugurated on Tuesday evening at the Argo
Gallery in Athens to support the Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans
Frontieres or MSF) and help them deliver healthcare to those in need.

A total of 61 Greek and foreign artists donated their artworks (painting,
sculpture, ceramics, drawing, engraving, and photography) to raise money
for the humanitarian organization. All proceeds from the exhibition, which
runs until March 31, will be donated to MSF.  “It is very important to have
the support of the societies where we work, to have the support of the
artists that they give their work to support MSF financially and to
continue having our presence in more hot places of the world,” Elias
Pavlopoulos general director MSF Greece told Xinhua.   “From Syria to Yemen
and from Congo to the Central African Republic, MSF teams try hard to
provide medical care in situations that are not the easiest to deal with,”
he added.

Behind the idea of the art charity show is the owner and director of the
Argo Gallery, Alexia Serezi, who as a donor to MSF thought to offer
something more through her profession.  “The world of art helps organize an
event and raise awareness and funds at the same time for a charity,” Serezi
said.  “I am extremely moved that all our partners responded, embraced our
idea. They offered their works, and we managed to organize this event,” she
noted.  From her part, painter and architect Diana Giannopoulou explained
how essential it is for artists to support such events.  “Art needs to be
close to people’s problems. Today more than ever before, I think it is
necessary artists and intellectuals to address the human crisis,” she
said.  With her art piece, a colorful painting named “Sunflowers” which
symbolizes the light and the feeling of optimism for the future, she wants
to raise her voice and help people overcome their problems.

Inspired by the face of the refugees and migrants reaching the Greek
shores, artist Maria Kitsiopoulou participated in the exhibition with her
painting “Stormy Seas.”  “Such events need our support, as the state cannot
deal with the crisis that our era is being through,” she said.  For
Kitsiopoulou, Greeks have set an example by rushing to provide emergency
assistance to the stranded refugees.  MSF is active in several places
across Greece.  “We have issues of mental health especially for the people
who stay in the camps. We continue to support in different ways the Greek
state as we can to ensure that we have proper healthcare for these people,”
Pavlopoulos said.Two weeks ago, they vaccinated 1,000 children at Moria
camp in Lesvos Island under a vaccination campaign that run across the
country to protect refugee children against infectious diseases.