George Georgiou
Encyclopedia
George Georgiou is a freelance British photographer and photojournalist best known for his work in eastern Europe
, particularly Turkey
.
.
Georgiou's work has focussed on communities split between different cultures. After working for six years in Serbia
, Greece
and eastern Europe, he was recently based for four years in Istanbul
. His work in Turkey led to a series of photographs titled Fault Lines/Turkey/East/West, which has led to several exhibitions and a book. Georgiou has also taught photography at Barnet College
in London and a number of workshops in Europe.
Arriving somewhere new, Georgiou's approach is first to unburden himself of preexisting images of the place and to try to see through superficial differences with places he knows; he then looks for commonalities and actual differences. He starts by himself and only when well underway hope to attract commissions and make sales.
Georgiou's early work was in black-and-white
but for Fault Lines and subsequent work he moved to colour, using a compact camera with an articulated LCD
that may be viewed from above, like the ground glass screen
of a twin-lens reflex camera
; this is less intimidating for the people photographed than a camera held to the eye.
Georgiou belongs to Panos Pictures. His noncommercial approach has presented challenges; speaking in 2009, he described himself as having large debts but remaining optimistic.
in 2003 coincided with bombings
he determined to learn more about the issues involved. The eventual theme to his work in Turkey gradually emerged as he observed bleak new collective housing springing up for an incongruous urbanization of the rugged Anatolian plateau. The resulting work, Fault Lines/Turkey/East/West, explores the notion of an East/West division and the additional and complex fault lines — religious/secular, tradition/modernity, and more — that cross the Turkey of today.
Georgiou started the work in monochrome but soon moved to colour. Photographing in spring and autumn helped in subduing the light and avoiding the blue skies familiar from National Geographic and the like.
In a review of Georgiou's exhibition Fault Lines at Side Gallery (Newcastle
), Katie Lin found that his photographs evoked sadness rather than sympathy resulting from "the desolation and emptiness that features in so many of his shots". In some cases, this desolation was exaggerated by the "disproportional space awarded to the sky" or by the look of the "faces of passersby who just happened to get caught in the frame". But overall she found the photographs were "thought-provoking and beautiful in content, composition and colour, a fantastic display of the everyday life experience of Turkish people".
Adam Stoltman wrote for the New York Times
that in Fault Lines:
" and "orange
" revolutions that took place in Georgia
and the Ukraine
against the backdrop of Russia's resurgence as a major international power and its continuous involvement in the two nations' affairs. The project looks at signs in the domestic and public spheres, that when taken together build up a representation of how the people of Georgia and the Ukraine negotiate the space that they find themselves in. Georgiou hopes to present this work in either one volume or two.
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, particularly Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
Career in photography
Born in London of Greek-Cypriot parents, Georgiou graduated in photography from the Polytechnic of Central LondonUniversity of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
.
Georgiou's work has focussed on communities split between different cultures. After working for six years in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and eastern Europe, he was recently based for four years in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. His work in Turkey led to a series of photographs titled Fault Lines/Turkey/East/West, which has led to several exhibitions and a book. Georgiou has also taught photography at Barnet College
Barnet College
Barnet College is a Further education college in North London, England in the United Kingdom. It has two main sites and two other learning centres in the London Borough of Barnet, and is a member of the 157 Group of schools....
in London and a number of workshops in Europe.
Arriving somewhere new, Georgiou's approach is first to unburden himself of preexisting images of the place and to try to see through superficial differences with places he knows; he then looks for commonalities and actual differences. He starts by himself and only when well underway hope to attract commissions and make sales.
Georgiou's early work was in black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
but for Fault Lines and subsequent work he moved to colour, using a compact camera with an articulated LCD
Liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly....
that may be viewed from above, like the ground glass screen
Reflex finder
A reflex finder is a viewfinder system with a mirror placed behind a lens. The light passing through the lens is reflected by the mirror to a focusing screen, usually ground glass...
of a twin-lens reflex camera
Twin-lens reflex camera
A twin-lens reflex camera is a type of camera with two objective lenses of the same focal length. One of the lenses is the photographic objective or "taking lens" , while the other is used for the viewfinder system, which is usually viewed from above at waist level...
; this is less intimidating for the people photographed than a camera held to the eye.
Georgiou belongs to Panos Pictures. His noncommercial approach has presented challenges; speaking in 2009, he described himself as having large debts but remaining optimistic.
Turkey
Georgiou had long been curious about Turkey, and when his visit to IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
in 2003 coincided with bombings
2003 Istanbul bombings
The 2003 Istanbul bombings were four truck bomb attacks carried out on November 15, 2003 and November 20, 2003, in Istanbul, Turkey, leaving 57 people dead, and 700 wounded. Several men have been convicted for their involvement.- First bombings :...
he determined to learn more about the issues involved. The eventual theme to his work in Turkey gradually emerged as he observed bleak new collective housing springing up for an incongruous urbanization of the rugged Anatolian plateau. The resulting work, Fault Lines/Turkey/East/West, explores the notion of an East/West division and the additional and complex fault lines — religious/secular, tradition/modernity, and more — that cross the Turkey of today.
Georgiou started the work in monochrome but soon moved to colour. Photographing in spring and autumn helped in subduing the light and avoiding the blue skies familiar from National Geographic and the like.
In a review of Georgiou's exhibition Fault Lines at Side Gallery (Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
), Katie Lin found that his photographs evoked sadness rather than sympathy resulting from "the desolation and emptiness that features in so many of his shots". In some cases, this desolation was exaggerated by the "disproportional space awarded to the sky" or by the look of the "faces of passersby who just happened to get caught in the frame". But overall she found the photographs were "thought-provoking and beautiful in content, composition and colour, a fantastic display of the everyday life experience of Turkish people".
Adam Stoltman wrote for the New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
that in Fault Lines:
Through a series of haunting architectural and landscape scenes of Turkey’s rush toward modernization — and the resulting tension between the secular and the modern — George Georgiou has visually put his finger on a kind of listless alienation which at times can seem to pervade globalized society.
Georgia and the Ukraine
In late 2010 Georgiou had been working for five years on In the Shadow of the Bear, a project that looks at the aftermath of the peaceful "RoseRose Revolution
The "Revolution of Roses" was a change of power in Georgia in November 2003, which took place after having widespread protests over the disputed parliamentary elections...
" and "orange
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
" revolutions that took place in Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
against the backdrop of Russia's resurgence as a major international power and its continuous involvement in the two nations' affairs. The project looks at signs in the domestic and public spheres, that when taken together build up a representation of how the people of Georgia and the Ukraine negotiate the space that they find themselves in. Georgiou hopes to present this work in either one volume or two.
Awards
- World Press PhotoWorld Press PhotoWorld Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955 the organization is known for holding the world's largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest....
: Award for "The Serbs" (2002). - Pictures of the Year International, prize for "Bombing Victim" (2003).
- World Press PhotoWorld Press PhotoWorld Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955 the organization is known for holding the world's largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest....
: Award for "Flour War" (2004). - Project Assistance Award from NikonNikon, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...
and the British Journal of Photography (2010).
By Georgiou
- George Georgiou. Fault Lines/Turkey/East/West. Amsterdam: Schilt, 2010. 128 pp. ISBN 905330715X.
- Fault Lines/Turquie/Est/Ouest. Trézélan: Filigranes, 2010. ISBN 2350461920.
- Turkey / Τουρκία : Στη ρωγμή του χρόνου (Turkey / Tourkia: stē rōgmē tou chronou). Athens: Apeiron Photos, 2010. ISBN 9609449018.
- Fault Lines/Turchia/Est/Ovest. Rome: Postcart, 2010. ISBN 978-88-867-95-40-1.
With contributions by Georgiou
- Sophie Howarth and Stephen McLaren, eds. Street Photography Now. London: Thames & Hudson, 2010 ISBN 0500543933.
External links
- Georgiou's website
- "Fault Lines: Turkey East to West" at Moving Walls 14.
- Whitney Johnson. "Off the shelf; George Georgiou's Turkey". New Yorker, 23 September 2010.