Australian photographer Ashley Perry embarked on a journey to highlight the Greek spots not shown in the tourist reels on Instagram, collating together a collection of 13 pictures in an exhibition now on display at the 11th Ballarat International Foto Biennale.
Perry’s 13-photo exhibition titled “Greece, late summer topographics” earned a spot in the Open Program of the BIFB, with the pictures currently being held at Blue Pyrenees Estate in Avoca (central Victoria) until 19 October.
The photographer stated he was keen to put a spotlight on the lesser known sites of Greece that do not gain the same online traction from tourists.
“Greece is a very interesting and engaging place, especially in terms of capturing the landscape through photography,” Perry told Neos Kosmos.
“I wanted to capture the landscape of Greece that is often unseen or, perhaps, under-represented. Places and spaces that are not captured on the Instagram reels of tourists, but that require a degree of exploration and contemplation to depict.”
The 52-year-old went to work on the collection while in Greece in late August last year, spending a chunk of his five-six week stay snapping shots of spots at Meteora as well as on the islands of Andros, Milos, Sifnos, and Koufonisia.
He explained he took inspiration from the New Topography movement while taking the photos, and said in describing the collection itself:
“These thirteen scenes capture quotidian, unglamorous, and slowly decaying human-altered landscapes, where absence becomes presence, and the ordinary becomes a record of time, use, and change.”
It is Perry’s second time being featured in the BIFB’s Open program, which he said provides a “really valuable opportunity” to exhibit his work and, in this instance, allow people to experience the landscape of Greece in new ways.
He noted that his opinions of Greece have only improved with experience.
“I have deep love of Greece, its people, culture, cuisine, and of course, its landscape (both built and natural, old and new). It is a place unlike anywhere else in the world.”
