Gerasimos Platanas began photographing in 2007, driven by a deep desire for artistic expression. His personal exploration is intertwined with the poetic and cinematic influence of Andrei Tarkovsky, a fundamental point of reference in shaping his vision. What many consider merely a technique has, for Platanas, over time become a true “artistic practice”—a form of contemplation, immersion in reality, and above all, an inner necessity.

«Photography as contemplation, as act, as expression, as effort and inner need for true creation, as immersion in the depth of things, as a journey to discover a new cosmos».

Through daily practice, reading, and introspection, Gerasimos has built his own visual vocabulary—a personal language made of symbols, silences, and images that strive to convey not the surface of the world, but its hidden essence.

When and how did your journey into photography begin?

It was during a time when I was searching for a tool, a medium to express myself artistically. In 2007, I bought my first digital camera, and from there I started taking my first artistic photographs.

Your approach to photography is inspired by daily practice, reading, and cinematic influences such as Tarkovsky. How have these elements shaped your artistic voice?

My influences are an amalgam of different art forms—whether cinema, music, painting, or literature. When we create, we always try to say something new, but in our subconscious live the forms that have touched us deeply. Personally, I’ve been more influenced by music and literature than by the images of other photographers. Books and music create an inner atmosphere that I try to express through the camera. Tarkovsky, in particular, taught me the poetry and depth of the image, the value of atmosphere, and the hidden meaning of natural elements. Even our way of thinking and perceiving life becomes part of the overall form of a work.

In presenting your work, you speak of creating a personal vocabulary. What does this mean to you, and how has it evolved over the years?

Every photographer-artist tries to build their own expressive language, their own visual vocabulary. Over the years, certain images emerge that clearly indicate the path to follow. These images are, metaphorically, like the personal discovery of a letter in the alphabet. The more we immerse ourselves in creating new “visual letters,” the freer we become in composing the sentences we wish to express through photography.

Platanas’s work is thus presented as a silent dialogue between the visible and the invisible world, between what appears and what is intuited. A project that does not seek immediacy, but intimacy—not easy aesthetics, but a truth that reveals itself only to those with eyes to see deeply.

The works of Gerasimos Platanas will be exhibited at the Liquida Photofestival in Turin from May 8 to 11, 2025.