Where men were: Leros, land of exile

This work is the result of two other projects, carried out on the island of Leros, Greece, between 2019 and 2021. In a previous version, this work was awarded second place in the "2021 Swiss Photojournalism Sept.info" prize. I walked the paths of Leros to discover a large number of abandoned buildings. The "Urbex" was my guide to try to list a universe forgotten for more than 70 years. I wanted to understand, to put myself in the place of the men who were there, to relive their isolation in my own way, through the heritage they left on this land of exile. Built between 1925 and 1939 under the Fascist regime, the Italian military installations are scattered in the hills. Traces are found on the walls, like this masterpiece that reproduces "The Peasant Wedding" or by monsters of the past, like this huge eagle holding in its talons the Nazi swastika. Leros was a place of passage for thousands of Italian, English and German soldiers during the World War II. After the war, the Greek state built a psychiatric asylum there. Housed in the old Italian barracks, it was not until the late 1980s that reports denounced the conditions of the mentally ill. Since 2015, refugees are isolated on this island. Whether they are soldiers, mentally ill or refugees, all arrived on Leros by obligation. Many have left a visible trace, but all have marked the memory of the island. It is no coincidence that the inhabitants of the island say that "if you stay on Leros, it is because you have to."