Artist Statement
I am inspired by an idealized nature, which suits my melancholic and introverted character; a nature without any distracting elements, serene, and beautiful, born from my love of silence and solitude. My work turns away from representation, conceptualism, and focuses on the wonder of beauty and simplicity. Reality is perceptual and through its transformation I can express my emotions, and create a new world. When people look at my images, I want them to feel like reading a poem.
Process Statement
I favor long exposure because it allows me to introduce the dimension of time in a two dimensional medium and to create a dreamy atmosphere in the sky and the water, but, at the same time, I can capture the changing world: rivers flow, clouds pass, the waves sway, giving a surreal feeling. Long Exposure also allows me to remove the moving details from the image and achieve the minimalistic appearance I am after.
George Digalakis is an accomplished photographer, specializing in Fine Art photography and exploring the shades of black and white. He was born and raised in Athens, Greece. A medical doctor by profession, he still lives and works in Athens. It was only in 2009 that he found the necessary free time to study photography seriously and became acquainted with classic and contemporary photography.
Born in a country with more than 1000 islands, he developed a close relationship with the sea, and he feels that this connection is the driving force behind his love for seascapes. Water can be found in most of his works, but never as their central theme. Rather, he uses the water and the sky as a canvas on which he places his subjects.
George rarely tries to capture the moment and finds that by ignoring reality he can best convey his inner vision and underlying emotions. Subjects that convey feelings of loneliness, isolation, and melancholy are his preferred themes, with bare trees in the water, old piers, and interesting rocks being recurring themes in his work. He sees the use of black and white as a step away from reality, and with the use of the long exposure technique, he introduces the sense of passing time by eliminating the details from the background, thus highlighting his subjects.
Minimalism, both as an art movement and as a philosophy of life, has influenced his work. The influence from minimalist photographers, such as Michael Kenna can be seen clearly in his seascapes.
George had three solo exhibitions in Ioannina, Athens, and Thessaloniki and has participated in numerous group exhibitions around the word. His work has been recognized in Greece, winning the prestigious "Hermes" Award of the Hellenic Photographic Society and in many international competitions, such as Px3, Sony World Photography Award, Siena Awards, APOY, Minimalist Photography Awards, FAPA, SITTP. He has been published in various magazines and sites, including LEMAG magazine, FEM, 1x.com, Digital Camera, Shot Magazine, Blur Magazine, Dodho Magazine, Yatzer, My Modern Met.
In 2020 George was one of the 6 photographers included in the documentary series “Hunters of Eternity” for the Greek television.
