Dowry dialogues:

This text examines the “Dowry Dialogues” performances by Persefoni Myrtsou and Adi Liraz in Thessaloniki, through Sara Ahmed's concepts of displacement and memory. It explores how these performances reflect the city's complex past, including the involuntary population exchange mandated by the Lausanne Treaty in 1923 and the Holocaust during the Second World War. Both artists, deeply connected to the themes of displacement through their personal and family histories, use their art to renegotiate historical memory and challenge dominant narratives, in favour of a decolonialized approach. Their work embodies the gendered experience of displacement, relevant to migration and marriage. The performances, set against the backdrop of Thessaloniki's waterfront, serve as a medium for reconnecting with silenced histories and marginalized identities. Utilizing a variety of artistic elements, Myrtsou and Liraz create a dialogue between the past and present, making visible the invisible stories of the displaced, while fostering a sense of collective memory and community building.