Interview with Stavri Georgiou

 

Your work often feels cinematic. What attracts you to storytelling through images rather than words?

I’ve always been drawn to visual storytelling because images can communicate emotions and ideas in a way that words sometimes cannot. My background in photography and film has taught me that a single image can hold multiple interpretations, allowing viewers to bring their own experiences into the work. I’m interested in creating atmospheric and cinematic moments that invite reflection rather than providing direct answers. Through images, I can explore themes such as identity, memory, solitude, and human connection in a way that feels intuitive, emotional, and open-ended.

You describe your work as existing between reality and fiction. How do you create that balance in your photographs?

I often begin with something rooted in reality—a place, a person, a fleeting moment—and then build upon it through atmosphere, light, color, and composition. I’m interested in the space where the familiar starts to feel unfamiliar. By combining real environments with cinematic elements and subtle interventions, I create images that feel believable yet dreamlike. Rather than documenting reality exactly as it is, I use photography to transform ordinary moments into something more symbolic and emotional, allowing viewers to question what is real and what is imagined.

You have exhibited internationally and published in major magazines. Has your understanding of success as an artist changed over the years?

Yes, it has changed significantly. Early on, I saw success through external milestones such as exhibitions, publications, awards, and recognition. While those opportunities remain meaningful and have helped me grow as an artist, I’ve come to understand success in a broader way. Today, success is being able to create work that feels honest to my vision, continues to challenge me, and connects with others on an emotional level. It’s about maintaining curiosity, evolving creatively, and staying committed to the practice, regardless of where the work is shown. The exhibitions, publications, and awards are important moments, but the ability to keep creating meaningful work is what I value most.

Can you tell us more about The Girl with Cigarette and Mirror Girl? What ideas, emotions, or moments led to the creation of these photographs?

The Girl with Cigarette emerged from my interest in creating images that feel suspended between vulnerability and strength. The dramatic lighting, and minimal composition transform a simple moment into something more symbolic. I was interested in exploring themes of identity, desire, solitude, and self-reflection, while leaving space for ambiguity. Rather than presenting a clear narrative, the image invites viewers to project their own emotions and interpretations onto the subject.

 

Mirror Girl developed from my ongoing fascination with reflection, perception, and the different versions of ourselves that we present to the world. Mirrors often appear throughout my work as symbols of introspection and transformation. In this photograph, I wanted to create a dialogue between the visible and the hidden, reality and illusion. The image reflects my interest in the idea that identity is never fixed but constantly shifting, shaped by memory, experience, and the way we see ourselves. Both works explore themes that are central to my practice: the tension between reality and fiction, and the emotional spaces that exist in between.

If you could describe your artistic voice in just three words, which words would you choose and why?

Cinematic, introspective, dreamlike.

Cinematic because my work is heavily influenced by film and visual storytelling, often creating scenes that feel like stills from an unwritten narrative.

Introspective because I am interested in exploring inner emotions, memory, identity, and the quiet moments that encourage reflection.

Dreamlike because my photographs exist in a space between reality and fiction, blending the familiar with the surreal to create images that feel both personal and open to interpretation.