The new creative hub of the Melissa Network opens its doors with the photography exhibition “Say Goodbye Before You Leave.”

Photographer Enri Canaj, a member of the international photo agency Magnum Photos, captures a decade of multiple journeys through his lens. Canaj began photographing refugee flows ten years ago, at the height of the refugee crisis.

With his camera lens, he followed many of the refugees on their journey, from the ruins of Syria and the dust of the Sahara to Lampedusa and the Aegean Sea crossings, from the temporary shelters of Moria and Idomeni to their first moments of settling in Europe.

His images capture not only loss, but also the strength, resilience, and hope of people who continue to move forward. “Say goodbye before you leave”—the phrase whispered by a little girl in Moria—is perhaps what she herself did not have time to do before leaving…

The choice of the exhibition “Say Goodbye Before You Leave” seems ideal for introducing Melissa’s new Beehive space to the public. The Melissa Network was founded in 2014 as an open hub for communication and inclusion, with the direct participation of activists from refugee and migrant communities.

It operates in the center of Athens, offering holistic support to women and girls who have experienced displacement and gender-based violence, providing a safe environment with a focus on mental health, education and the development of skills and knowledge, art, expression, creativity, and social participation, promoting inclusion, solidarity, and women’s rights.

Ιnformation:

Venue: Beehive | Metsovou 10, Athens, 106 82 

Duration: 31 October 2025 – 31 March 2026 

Days & Hours: Wednesday– Sunday, 11.00 – 17.00 

Free admission. Any voluntary contribution is an act of solidarity with survivors of gender-based violence.

Organised by: Beehive | Melissa Network With the support of: NEON – IC – Choose Love In collaboration with: Magnum Photos Under the auspices of: Municipality of Athens