Fine Art Photography
"In Between," 2024
Composite photograph for the group exhibition: "Cosa Mentale" at Ζεύξις Art Studio in Athens, Greece 23/3 - 1/4/2024
Giclée print on photographic paper (60 x 90 cm)
Curators: Dr. Lina Tsikouta and Ioannis N. Archontakis
The work titled "In Between" invites us to reflect on human perception and the influence of personal filters that shape our experience. The photograph presents a model (who is also the co-curator of the exhibition, Ioannis Archontakis) through a semi-transparent material, creating a film between the observer and the observed. This thin, semi-transparent surface serves as a metaphor for the filters of our perception – the biases, fears, desires, and expectations that may prevent us from seeing reality as it is.
In Gestalt theory, the concept of perception is central. We perceive the world not as a direct and clear whole, but through our own psychological, emotional, and cognitive filters. "Between" highlights the idea that contact with ourselves, others, and the environment is never absolute or without obstacles. There is always a "film," a blurred transparent membrane that affects the clarity of the image.
This allegory reminds us of a fundamental principle of Gestalt Theory – the need for awareness. Awareness is the first step to recognizing our filters and revealing them so that our contact becomes more authentic. In the therapeutic process, we strive to understand how past experiences, thought patterns, and emotional blocks influence our contact with the environment.
The semi-transparent material between the artist and the model can also be seen as a metaphor for the difficulties of genuine contact. We often see others not as they are, but through our own projections, biases, or expectations. The world and the people around us become objects of our own fantasies, and what we see is often a distorted reflection of ourselves. "In Between" calls us to accept this difficulty, to see the distorting factor, and to understand it.
Thus, this work serves as a call for self-knowledge. It invites us to observe this "filter" that distances us from the truth, to recognize it, and to accept it, so that we can move towards a deeper understanding of ourselves and others. "In Between" becomes, therefore, a reminder of the continuous effort to look beyond surfaces, to see the depth and essence hidden behind the distortions of our daily perception.
Dimosthenis Gallis