Angelos Balatsas-Lekkas Photographs – An exhibition
Angelos Balatsas-Lekkas Photographs
An Exhibition held at the Kauniainen City Gallery 27.9.2021 – 29.10.2021
The photographs presented in this exhibition were taken for personal reasons; they are not parts of a specific project and are not backed up by any “message-carrying concept”. They are simply parts of a peculiar visual diary that I have kept for the past six years.
The presentation of the photographs in sets of four serves two purposes: 1) the detection of kinships within each set but also between the sets and 2) the structured presentation of the different approaches I have towards the themes that I focus on when taking photographs: everyday life in the city and at home.
In 2006, while living in Greece, I came into contact with photography through the classes of my teacher, Platon Rivellis. He, transmitted to me his love and admiration for photographers whose art has a common personal nature; Photographers such as Eugéne Atget, Walker Evans, Carleton Watkins, Julia Margaret Cameron, Jenny deVasson, August Sander, Garry Winogrand, Diane Arbus, André Kertész, Lazló Moholy-Nagy, Florence Henri, Jacques Henri Lartigue, Roy Decarava, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Bernard Plossu, Luigi Ghirri and many others.
For several years after my first contact with the work of important photographers, I stopped taking photographs. In part, because I came to realize the distance that separated their work from mine leading to my disappointment.
Six years ago, however, and with many changes occurring in my life, I started taking photographs vigorously, with high spirits. I had just moved from Denmark to Finland, my first child was born, I started a new job, and came into contact with a new social environment.
Now, I attribute such high spirits to the conscious use of the photographic medium for the production of personal work but also to the gradual discovery of small pleasures in the photographic process:
The resolution of visual problems during shooting, the choice of themes and the imposition of (elastic) boundaries in the way in which I approach them, the provocation of chance and finally, the selection of photographs.
The main supporters of my, so far, short journey are three: 1) my family members, who tolerate me placing the camera between us, 2) my teacher with his critique and help in choosing the photographs, and 3) photographers, with whom I share common artistic values, and who belong to the “Photographic Circle” as myself.
The Photographic Circle is a thirty three-year-old association, based in Athens, which aims to promote photography as an art form, create a cultured photographic audience, support the artistic progress of its members and promote the members’ work.
I would like to thank my teacher, Platon Rivellis, for selecting the photographs and organizing them into sets of fours.I would also like to thank the municipality of Kauniainen for its support through the partial funding of the exhibition and the provision of the exhibition space.
Finally, many thanks to Adriana Grigoriou and Marjo Nostaja for translating this text into English and Finnish, and to Apostolos Smaropoulos for the posters.
Angelos Balatsas-Lekkas