Interview
Pantelis Georgitsis
After studying graphic design and environmental studies in Greece, Pantelis soon discovered that his true love was photography. So he enrolled as a student of photography at the University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
Pantelis then worked as an assistant photographer in 2 large photography studios in Greece, and freelanced on the side.
After winning a major contest, Pantelis had the opportunity to exhibit his work at Momus Museum, a photography museum in Greece.
Pantelis has won 3 photography awards in Greece in the substract, portrait and art categories. He has also participated in many contests across Europe.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I was born in Greece and studied graphic design and photography there. I’ve always had a love for art, but photography became my passion. Ever since my 30s, I understood that I wanted to become a photographer.”
What inspires you most?
“Everything can inspire me. It just happens! Many people say to me, ‘I want to see this from your point of view,’ and that is enough to inspire me to create. At other times, I meet people and I imagine them in different roles: how I want this person to stand in photos, how I feel about this person, or how they make me feel.
I’m inspired by love, hate, loneliness and feelings. Fashion, daily life, places and life choices are also all great sources of inspiration.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I try to express feelings, to express the way I see people and situations. I try to exalt love. I enjoy shooting bodies in motion, strange places and reflections. I always try to create a secondary message in my photos.”
“A photograph without true feelings is just a simple recording. When someone looks at my work, I want them to feel something. Anything.”
How would you describe your work?
“Sexy! Sparkling! Even though I love to shoot a variety of things, but I specialize in male photography. My work is fluid. My first concern is to make sure that every photo portrays some feeling.”
What artists influence you most?
“That’s a difficult question because I can think of so many! Francesca Woodman, Tim Walker, Alex Webb and George Rousse are just a few names.”
What is your creative process like?
"There’s no magic recipe or technique. I simply use my eyes and my mind. I start to imagine situations. How I felt. How I feel. I always ask the person I’m shooting how they feel at that particular time.
I also take into account how I feel about a place. I try to find corners, reflections, shapes, lines. If there are none, I try make them. I want a picture that will make me fall in love with it for a reason.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“The world needs artists. The world needs people who can express their feelings, even in an invisible way. Artists need to inspire other people, and show different visuals in their own way. Maybe artists just have to create. Being an artist can be a full time job too. Many people don’t understand this, especially in Greece. Art does not have a specific cost to everyone, so it's kind of all for artists.
Art can be used just to send a message to this world, or just to express feelings. It depends on the artist’s inner world.
Art can mean everything to someone, or nothing to another. So, maybe I’m just a photo. A colored one.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“One exhibition where I showed my work was called ‘Antropopause’, which means ‘human paused’. It was created at the time of the lockdown when time and humans seemed to have been paused by COVID. Mine was the main picture.
Soon after the exhibition started at the Thessaloniki Photography Museum, it was paused from the second week because of the Corona virus, just like the name of the exhibition. After 6 months, it reopened.”
