Dimitrios Mavroudis

As an inhabitant of this earth, I feel the presence of many different synergies around me. I walk around trying, with my two eyes and my camera, to capture the light that emanates from these interactions. In my residency i want to ask myself questions that deal with this topic. Where does the sun rise, where does it set? What does it sound like when the earth turns? I always had the feeling that besides all the small things I perceive, something bigger is also working around us. We live on this planet as emotional beings and only play a small role in this universe, yet we are a part of it. Just as an ant does not understand how democracy works, humans do not yet understand how the system of the universe works and affects us. I stare into the sun and the light is blinding me. It hurts my eyes. By stretching my hand against the sun, I try to reach what is far and unattainable, by covering it though, I try to gain control over something that seems frightening and uncontrollable to me. By making portraits of people and photos of my natural environment, I want to solve some kind of code that gives me insight into the connection between people and their role in this universe. The possible ways in which the medium of photography can be expanded have been a focus of my previous artistic output Working with new and existing photos and different forms of installation I will work on getting closer to the understanding of this code of human nature.

Photography has always been an important influence on my works since photography is light. I take Polaroid pictures of my environment and friends since I was a teenager. The pleasure and thrill of voyeurism always evokes a certain feeling of melancholy in me which appears in my works in different forms. I take snapshots of elusive youth and fleeting lust which are scattered throughout, shorn of context and tell the story of my generation: a glimpse of their promise before the often inevitable disappointment. Here I can capture a scenery, choose the image frame and arrange the pictures in a new context. This fragmented style often results in collages and shows my obsession with both memory and mortality, and conjures a narrative effect rather than being a rigid image. These collaged works expand in different materials and media and consist of different forms of installations. Combined with iconographic impact I compose these photos in performative and installative arrangements and create an intimate room one is allowed to enter. I choose fleeing, moving and fragile materials – fabric, coloured glass, light, shadow and reflections are things that inspire my works - through them I can express evanescence and temporality.