PARADISE LOST?

Ten of the most important wetlands of Greece as seen through the lens of Perikles Merakos.

The first photograph that Perikles took was a portrait of his family. The second was his girlfriend. As photography became his passion, he lost count. He delved into its world, reading, learning and training until his pictures captured entire stories. Though the subject matter is not always beautiful, the narrative is intact. For Perikles, beauty is a matter of perspective, a conscious decision not to objectify his subjects. The real world, good and bad, light and dark, perfect or marred, made him a unique, tenacious artist. Once, Perikles endured four days of rain to photograph Lake Kerkini the way he wanted to. There were many more sleepless nights in his journeys through Greece, waiting for the perfect moment. Notwithstanding a slight inclination towards places unchanged by time and human activity, all destinations are worthy subjects. All are beautiful: Florina, Prespes and Mani, his homeland. His focus was anthropocentric photography until he learned to love places as much as people.

And just like that, Perikles took up Paradise Lost?, a project in which he photographed, as only he could, ten of the most important wetlands of international ecological significance in Greece. Rare species of birds, lakes, swamps, and lagoons graced his lens and the realization that the planet’s chain of habitats must be strengthened and respected. Today, he is trying to create a visual poem, a sequence of images and videos with minimal musical accompaniment, like a hymn to the wild and unadulterated side of life...

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PHOTOS : PERIKLES MERAKOS