Saturday 06 April 2024 06:00
Sunday 07 April 2024 06:00
Monday 08 April 2024 06:00
Tuesday 09 April 2024 06:00
Wednesday 10 April 2024 06:00
Thursday 11 April 2024 06:00
Friday 12 April 2024 06:00
Saturday 13 April 2024 06:00
Sunday 14 April 2024 06:00
Monday 15 April 2024 06:00
Tuesday 16 April 2024 06:00
Wednesday 17 April 2024 06:00
Thursday 18 April 2024 06:00
Friday 19 April 2024 06:00
Saturday 20 April 2024 06:00
Sunday 21 April 2024 06:00
Monday 22 April 2024 06:00
Tuesday 23 April 2024 06:00
Wednesday 24 April 2024 06:00
Thursday 25 April 2024 06:00
Friday 26 April 2024 06:00
Saturday 27 April 2024 06:00
Sunday 28 April 2024 06:00
Monday 29 April 2024 06:00
Tuesday 30 April 2024 06:00
Wednesday 01 May 2024 06:00
Thursday 02 May 2024 06:00
Friday 03 May 2024 06:00
Saturday 04 May 2024 06:00
Sunday 05 May 2024 06:00
Monday 06 May 2024 06:00
Tuesday 07 May 2024 06:00
Wednesday 08 May 2024 06:00
Thursday 09 May 2024 06:00
Friday 10 May 2024 06:00
Saturday 11 May 2024 06:00
Sunday 12 May 2024 06:00
Monday 13 May 2024 06:00
Tuesday 14 May 2024 06:00
Wednesday 15 May 2024 06:00
Thursday 16 May 2024 06:00
Friday 17 May 2024 06:00
Saturday 18 May 2024 06:00
Sunday 19 May 2024 06:00
Monday 20 May 2024 06:00
Tuesday 21 May 2024 06:00
Wednesday 22 May 2024 06:00
Thursday 23 May 2024 06:00
Friday 24 May 2024 06:00
Saturday 25 May 2024 06:00
Sunday 26 May 2024 06:00
Monday 27 May 2024 06:00
Tuesday 28 May 2024 06:00
Wednesday 29 May 2024 06:00
Thursday 30 May 2024 06:00
Friday 31 May 2024 06:00
Saturday 01 June 2024 06:00
Sunday 02 June 2024 06:00
Monday 03 June 2024 06:00
Tuesday 04 June 2024 06:00
Wednesday 05 June 2024 06:00
Thursday 06 June 2024 06:00
Friday 07 June 2024 06:00
Saturday 08 June 2024 06:00
Sunday 09 June 2024 06:00
Monday 10 June 2024 06:00
Tuesday 11 June 2024 06:00
Wednesday 12 June 2024 06:00
Thursday 13 June 2024 06:00
Friday 14 June 2024 06:00
Saturday 15 June 2024 06:00
Sunday 16 June 2024 06:00
Monday 17 June 2024 06:00
Tuesday 18 June 2024 06:00
Wednesday 19 June 2024 06:00
Thursday 20 June 2024 06:00
Friday 21 June 2024 06:00
Saturday 22 June 2024 06:00
Sunday 23 June 2024 06:00
Monday 24 June 2024 06:00
Tuesday 25 June 2024 06:00
Wednesday 26 June 2024 06:00
Thursday 27 June 2024 06:00
Friday 28 June 2024 06:00
Saturday 29 June 2024 06:00
Sunday 30 June 2024 06:00
Photography Exhibition
In a series of 48 photographs, the exhibition “Portraits of Women” by Pepi Loulakaki is presenting photographic portrayals of women (1992–2020) from the Greek countryside and/or underprivileged social environments of the urban fabric; moments from their childhood or teenage years, but also impressions of the adult life of women who have remained bold and fearless, open to challenges, with purity, sweetness, enthusiasm, strength and kindness — such is the photographic gaze that “captures” them, always free in a time that stands still. Women, as explored by Pepi Loulakaki’s photographic gaze, never grow up.
Let them play around me forever “Let them play around me forever. Never grow up.” These are the words used by Vladimir Nabokov to describe how he sees “budding” women in his legendary novel Lolita. Reading it, through his eyes, I saw myself picking up my father’s camera, while I was still only a schoolgirl, and photographing my friends; at the end of the school day, we would walk around the city's archaeological sites and Thiseio, or play, and I would constantly shoot portraits and landscapes. Already I felt that I didn't want the age called childhood and adolescence to ever end; or if it had to end, I wanted to keep with me everything that characterized it: the purity, the sweetness, the theatricality, the elegance, the tenderness, the kindness, the play, the enthusiasm, the imagination, the power — everything that makes us bold and fearless. Everything that is still burning high within many of us women, qualities that I later discovered in so many women and children during my expeditions, often even in less privileged environments, such as among the Pomaks or the Roma, during soirees called “nychteria” that are still held in villages so young people can get to know each other, at schools, among groups of friends, on festive occasions, at home or at work. I deeply identify with the words of painter Georgia O’Keeffe: “I feel there is something unexplored about women that only a woman can explore.” —Pepi Loulakaki
Pepi Loulakaki | Short Bio Pepi Loulakaki was born in Plaka, in the historical center of Athens. She became interested in photography from a very young age, and began her career as a freelance photographer, parallel to her studies, proposing cover stories to Epsilon magazine of Sunday Eleftherotypia newspaper as early as 1992. Since then, on her own initiative, she has photographed a large number of social and socio-political themes across Europe, the Middle East and the Balkans. She is particularly interested in the rights of women and children, and in environmental issues of our time. A large part of her tireless photographic activity consists of portraits of the most influential personalities, artists and scientists of our time. Since 2000, she has collaborated with “K” magazine of Kathimerini newspaper, as well as other print and electronic media and organizations. Her photographic work has been exhibited in Greece and abroad. In 2010, Kastaniotis Editions released her photobook on Thrace titled: “So close, so far away. The Muslim world of Thrace.” The book’s photographs were exhibited at the Benaki Museum in 2013. For the past 15 years, she has also been photographing musicians from the world music scene, photographs of hers being featured on album covers and magazines, parallel to giving lectures on photography.
A production of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC)
We wish to thank Thanasis Stavrakis for his kind contribution to the design of the exhibition.
The photobook on Thrace "So close, so far. Her Muslim World" (Kastaniotis Publications) will be available at the Marketplace/Free Thinking Zone Bookstore during WOW Athens 2024.
April 6, 2024 – June 30, 2024 Perimeter of Stavros Niarchos Park
Credit | Xanthi, 2009 © Pepi Loulakaki
