The art of Athen’s architecture as captured through the photographic lens of Petros Kaminiotis was on full display with the opening of a stunning exhibition, Modern Athens In The Backdrop Of Antiquity, at the Luna Studio Gallery in Newtown, Sydney on February 25.
The exhibition, which forms part of the Greek Festival of Sydney and is supported by the Athenian Association of NSW, features a series of photographs in which the Athens-based photographer showcases the beautiful architectural forms of the city through the vista of ancient monuments and contemporary architecture.
The crowd in attendance on the opening night were suitably impressed by the photographer’s body of work. Tourists in Athens will typically photograph the Acropolis and other classical monuments whereas Petros Kaminiotis looks beyond the grandeur of the classical form that is embodied in the perfection that is the Parthenon or the geometric marvels of the ancient Roman theatre, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, to capture the architectural synergy of ancient and modern built forms.
The Parthenon
For this photographer, the Classical Parthenon is clearly the inspiration for capturing the ancient and the modern built forms as if they are in a continuous dialogue with each other.
That comes as no surprise, for the Parthenon, according to the famous Swiss-French architect, Le Corbusier, represents architecture that is the pure creation of the mind.
In “The Secret Lives of Buildings” the author Edward Hollis declares that the Parthenon is the “architect’s dream: it is perfect; it is what architecture was, is and should be”.
Architecture, photography and the imagination
Petros Kaminiotis approaches architecture photography as a means of interpreting the world around him and not just as a means of documenting it. His photographs, in both monochrome and colour, highlight themes such as the interplay of architecture and imagination – or how imaginations can be stirred by photographing existing architecture – and the beautiful geometric lines and planes that a camera often reveals which the human eye can overlook. Light and shadow can be captured as they change with time. Perception can change when photographs are taken from unexpected angles.
Indeed, it can be argued that the architecture of the photograph and the photograph of the architecture merge and can no longer be clearly separated from one another, particularly where a modern city is framed by its glorious past.
The president of the Athenian Association of New South Wales and a proud Athenian herself, Cathy Valis, opened the exhibition and warmly thanked the organisers of the Greek Festival of Sydney, including Harry Danalis and Nia Karteris from the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW, for assisting with the photographic exhibition and listing it as one of the events on the Festival’s program.
Ms Valis also expressed her appreciation for the talented photographer from Athens and praised his exemplary photography which she was sure would impress visitors to the gallery. With this exhibition Petros Kaminiotis seeks to demonstrate that Athens should not simply be viewed through the lens of its ancient sites such as the Parthenon, magnificent as they are, but also for its continuing architectural splendour as embodied in the Acropolis Museum, the Stavros Niarchos Centre, and other modern buildings throughout the city.
Ms Valis spoke in particular of one building that continues to impress her in the city in which she was born and that is the Acropolis Museum. The impressions created by the skilled photographer’s photos of Athens are enduring.
The acclaimed Greek-Australian portrait and documentary photographer Effy Alexakis, who helped organise the event, was also effusive in her praise:
“Petros has graphically rendered contemporary Athens into a very abstract and exciting visual form. A must see exhibition.”
The photographer Petros Kaminiotis has splendidly captured the layering of both old and new elements in his visual photographic ode to the architecture of Athens, capturing its contemporary pulse while standing in the shadow of its glorious and enduring antiquity.
An excellent advertisement for the Greek Festival of Sydney.
George Vardas is the Arts and Culture Editor and a keen photographer