Yorgos Lanthimos Reveals Intimate Photography Exhibition in Athens
In the heart of Athens, a new artistic sanctuary has emerged. Surrounded by tall white columns, this contemporary temple houses a unique collection: the personal photographs of acclaimed director Yorgos Lanthimos. The exhibition, titled "Yorgos Lanthimos: Photographs," offers visitors a glimpse through the filmmaker's distinctive absurdist lens at his native Greece.
Exploring Greece Through an Absurdist Eye
The photographs, captured over recent years as Lanthimos wandered his homeland, present Greece in unexpected ways. One image shows a coffin leaning against a wall beside a mop, while another features horses whose heads appear severed by foreground trees. A particularly striking photograph depicts a roadside memorial beneath a warning sign, with the wiggly road symbol pointing upward as if directing the path to the afterlife.
"How you view it depends on your mood," Lanthimos explained during our meeting at Onassis Stegi, where the exhibition is hosted. "You might see it one day and laugh, then see it another day and wonder, 'What happened here?' It's dark, nuanced, and that's why I love that picture."
From Film Sets to Darkroom Collaborations
While Lanthimos has previous photography experience connected to his films, this collection represents a more personal departure. The exhibition includes works from his recent movies, with images from Poor Things featuring lavish portraits of stars like Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo alongside behind-the-scenes glimpses of lighting rigs and props.
For Kinds of Kindness, Lanthimos created photographs with aesthetic similarities to American photographers Lewis Baltz and Henry Wessel Jr. rather than direct connections to the film itself. One image shows only the back of Willem Dafoe's head, while another captures Emma Stone's shadow rather than her face.
Lanthimos revealed that photography serves as an escape from filmmaking pressures. Emma Stone, who has appeared in all his movies since 2018's The Favourite, joined him each night after filming to process negatives in a makeshift hotel bathroom darkroom.
"After all this tension on set all day, it became this thing that calmed and focused us," Lanthimos said. "It was meditative."
Embracing Imperfections and Body Parts
The director expressed appreciation for photographic imperfections, noting that scratches on one image of sea and horizon added texture and tactility to an otherwise minimalist composition. This acceptance extends to his fascination with body parts, particularly limbs shown without their full context.
"I think parts of the body are very expressive, especially with bruises or birthmarks or acne or whatever," Lanthimos explained. "They can be expressive in a different way to a face. I guess it goes back to telling stories. If you only show a part of something and not the whole thing, it urges you to imagine the rest."
A Return to Roots and Slower Pace
After creating three films consecutively without breaks, Lanthimos is currently stepping back from cinema. "I overdid it," he admitted. "So it might be a couple of weeks, it might be years. But I won't make another film until I get the urge again."
The director confessed that despite his acclaim and Oscar nominations, he doesn't enjoy many aspects of filmmaking. The crowds on set, constant decision-making, press obligations, and awards season all challenge his naturally shy personality. Even photography presents difficulties due to what he calls "the shyness issue"—he finds approaching strangers for photographs particularly challenging.
Brexit served as impetus for Lanthimos's return to Greece from London. "When you grow up somewhere, you think you're in the worst place in the world and everywhere else is better," he reflected. "But with the distance, I started looking at all the things in Greece I thought were ugly and horrible—and now saw them as unique. I saw the contradictions in them and how that can be beautiful in a certain way."
Now settled back in his homeland, Lanthimos plans to embrace a slower pace, reacquaint himself with Greece, and continue creating increasingly intimate photographic works. While he may struggle with shyness, the gates to his artistic temple are open, inviting all to experience his unique perspective.
Yorgos Lanthimos: Photographs continues at Onassis Stegi in Athens until 17 May. His photography book Viscin is available for pre-order through Mack.
