George Kanis

Athens, Greece
Bio:

George Kanis is a well traveled, life experienced, Athens based photographer and long time friend of Siilk Gallery. We’ve known of George for a long time and we knew we had to do a feature since meeting earlier this year.

The works we are showing are from a collection named “Raw Experimental Files”. We loved this series and will also be showcasing it at the “XXX” exhibition in September.

Get to know the artist and check him out on IG @GeorgeKanis

Tell us a little about the series of photographs Raw experimental files.

Raw experimental files are un-edited series of photos. So you get as a result the original image of the negative film scans . In reality the photos are being edited during the photo shoot. Their Raw, their gritty and real.

How long have you been photographing for, what were your first subjects and how did you move into the style of work you shoot now?

I have started being drawn to photography from my early high school years. The last decade has been dedicated to working on the “raw experimental files” and delving into contemporary art. My first subjects were people from my social circles because they were more easily approached and the photo shoots were being done in a more comfortable environment. My photographic aesthetic came naturally from my need to differentiate from classical arts.

Your shooting digital and analogue? tell us about what your using?

Any photographic device can be used as a tool for my wok, from cellphones to full frame cameras. I’m not committed to any specific equipment, it always depends on the subject and the feeling I want to achieve in a photo.

Your a well known resident of Athens, what are your views on the city, what have you seen here over the years and where do you hope it will go?

To be honest I haven’t set my expectations high on this city. In short, relationship status: “It’s complicated”

If not Athens where would you be living and shooting?

I’m not attached to any cultural context. Each city has its own charms and dark corners that are an open invitation for artistic creation. Therefore I can practice my art in every corner of the world but that doesn’t mean that I want to be located permanently anywhere.

Your also a painter, tell us about that practice?

When it comes to painting, I like the abstract forms and I have a penchant for mixed media art. I believe that these kinds of materials are the most likely to help me recreate my vision.

What can we expect to see from you in the future? Any projects lined up or ideas in mind?

Currently, I’ve been involved in many projects with different subjects so it’s really hard to tell you what’s next but I’m focusing mostly on my “death to symbols” project which is about my interpretation of universal and socially constructed symbols/icons and stripping them from their traditional definitions and reinventing them. It’s like jungian analysis but through photography, picking an archetype and play with it.

If not photography what would you be doing?

At this moment I don’t feel like rebelling against my own medium , which I’m pretty much in love with, and going in on a different direction. I choose photography because it gives me the space and the time I need to be fully myself, it’s like the best partner I’ve ever had, and I would never cheat on my other half.