London Art Student Brings Hope to a Greek Island

London art student Alex Dimitriou has teamed up with Greek non-profit HOPEgenesis and Symi’s longtime mayor Eleftherios Papakalodoukas to raise money for the development of a nursery school on the Greek island.

The exhibition Support through Art by Alex, which took place at 116 Brompton Road, London, on 30 January, featured 42 works produced over the last two years. All proceeds will go to the refurbishment of a building into a nursery school on the island.

Greece’s fertility rate is one of the lowest in Europe; a fallout from the country’s government-debt crisis (2009–2018), as years of austerity saw changing attitudes amongst its citizens change towards childbirth. In 2022, Greece recorded less than 77,000 births, the lowest number of births in almost a century, according to Reuters. The most recent data from the World Health Organisation has projected a population decrease of 14% to 8.8 million by 2050.

On a small, remote island such as Symi—located 425 km from Athens’ main port of Piraeus—the declining birthrates are contributing to a demographic collapse, as the young are leaving the island in the hope of better jobs, and a brighter future.

‘I sat down with the island’s mayor to discuss possible ways to help and encourage [the islanders] to have more children,’ said Dimitrou. ‘One obstacle is the absence of nurseries on the island. The help of grandparents is not always a given, which leaves them without any time to work, educate, or even entertain themselves.’

Dimitrou’s fundraising project aims to contribute to the establishment of a nursery on the island, which will cater to children ranging from six months to four years old. The estimated 80,000 EUR project will provide affordable childcare support for those in the local area.

The works for sale in the London exhibition ranged from 500 GBP for a small watercolour to 1,500 GBP for a large oil on canvas. —[O]

Main image: Alex Dimitriou at Support through Art by Alex, London (30 January 2025).