Locations: Kastra, Ano Poli, Seich Sou forest, Nea Paralia, Thessaloniki Greece, December-January 2020-2021.
Minolta dynax 7000i (AF 35-105mm). LomoChrome Metropolis 100-400 ISO, 35mm film.
Locations: Kastra, Ano Poli, Seich Sou forest, Nea Paralia, Thessaloniki Greece, December-January 2020-2021.
Minolta dynax 7000i (AF 35-105mm). LomoChrome Metropolis 100-400 ISO, 35mm film.
Locations: Dwingelderveld National Park, Drenthe, The Netherlands, September 2020.
Minolta dynax 7000i (AF 35-105mm). Fujifilm Provia 100 F 135/36, 35mm film.
Locations: Stadspark, Groningen, The Netherlands, March 2020.
Minolta 303si, (35-80mm lens). Kodak Gold 200, 35mm film.
My body breaks,
it shatters into millions of pieces.
I carry the voices,
the screams,
the whispers,
the beggings,
of all the women who came before me.
I, too, feel their pain,
deep in my skin,
it goes through the flesh,
and reaches my bones.
Cold, it crushes me.
The pain lingers,
in the dark rooms of our bodies
it fades,
it withers and then stops,
leaving only remnants of suffering.
In its place
anything ugly
is transformed
to strength
and courage.
It breathes survival.
And the flowers in our heads
blossom,
out of coal and ash,
our saliva becomes sugar between our tongue,
washing over the bitterness in our mouths
and we swallow
all the false masculinity,
or whatever is left from it.
We are one.
Our bodies connect
through hundreds of years of abuse.
The pain in our bodies,
now a tree
with deep strong roots,
is capable of defeating anything.
Our mouths make sounds
as last!
they move,
they vibrate,
they tell the stories of pain.
Our voices create waves and waves and waves
of endless vibrations,
weaving webs of strong fibers,
ready to catch a sister who might fall.
Our voices are the voices of truth and pain,
and all that’s in between.
Our voices are strong,
they finally echo.
[I cry with them too]
21.10.2018
Photo: Nikon F75 (35-70mm). Kodak Ultra Max 400, 35mm film. Warns, Friesland, the Netherlands, July 2020.
Locations: These wonderfully contrasted pictures were taken a couple of years ago in Thessaloniki, Greece (December 2017). The intense contrast of the infrared b&w film is offering a dark and almost hopelessly dreary vibe to the pictures.
I decided to upload these picture now because I visited Greece during the Christmas holidays once again in 2020. Last time I was there during this festive period was three (!) years ago. This year, I also had the pleasure to revisit the “Umbrellas”, a landmark in the boulevard of Thessaloniki. Designed by George Zongolopoulos in 1997, this sculpture has been photographed countless times both by tourists and locals. Especially during this pandemic, I have noticed people walking up and down this boulevard, photographing again and again this amazing artwork. Just marvel at the wonderful contrast of the umbrellas against the overcast sky of that winter evening in 2017. My best friend is modeling for me in some of the pictures, while some fishermen posed ignorantly, hence their backs on the pictures. Notice how the Christmas lights seem to hang from the sky like a carpet made of little stars. I will always cherish those holidays. Happy New Year and hopefully in the future we can travel again and you can visit and photograph the “Umbrellas”.
Minolta dynax 7000i (AF 35-105mm). Washi Z 400/135 BW Film. 24 exp, 35mm film.
Locations: The basic location where I took these pictures is in Warns, Friesland, in July 2020. Since I used this camera and film during the summer, you will also find some colorful images from biking around the Hoornsemeer lake in Groningen, taken in August 2020. Also, two pictures are taken during my first time picking blueberries in Wapse. In the Netherlands you can visit picking gardens, such as the Zeldenrust in Wapse, where you can pick your own blueberries! You take all the time you need with the picking process and when you are done, they weigh your buckets and you pay per kilo. It was a wonderful experience, even though there were not many blueberries left in the gardens! Needless to say, we ate from our blueberry batch a lot, till a couple of months ago!
Nikon F75 (35-70mm). Kodak Ultra Max 400, 35mm film.
Locations: Biking around Hoornseplas, Stadspark, Groningen, the Netherlands. May 2020.
Nikon F75 (28-100mm). LomoChrome Purple, 100-400, 35mm film.
Locations: Zeeheldenbuurt, Stadspark, Groningen, the Netherlands, May 2020.
Minolta Dynax 7000i (AF 35-105mm). LomoChrome Purple, 100-400, 35mm film.
Locations: De Onlanden, Groningen, the Netherlands, May 2020.
Minolta Dynax 7000i (AF 35-105mm). Kodak Ektar, 100 ISO, 35mm film.
Locations: Stadspark Groningen, the Netherlands. March 2020.
Nikon F75 (28-100mm). Color Negative, 35 mm, ISO 800.