John Stathatos
Greek
John Stathatos (born 1947 in Athens) is a renowned Greek photographer, writer, curator, and academic whose work has significantly shaped the field of contemporary Greek photography.
He studied philosophy and political science at the London School of Economics before launching a multi-decade career in photography and publishing, including poetry, photojournalism, and editorial writing for publications such as The Guardian, Art Monthly, Creative Camera, and European Photography.
His major photographic series—such as *The Book of Lost Cities*, *Airs, Waters, Places*, *Lumen*, *Lithoi / Stones*, *The Gardens of the Hesperides*, and *Three Heraclitean Elements*—combine landscape with cultural memory and philosophical reflection.
Stathatos curated landmark exhibitions including *Image & Icon: The New Greek Photography 1975–1995*—the first comprehensive survey of postwar Greek photography—which toured internationally. He also founded the Kythera Photographic Encounters and its accompanying Conference on the History of Greek Photography in 2002.
Working from his adopted home on the island of Kythera, Stathatos's photography reflects a deeply metaphysical aesthetic: abstracted compositions of ruins, elemental forms, gardens, and natural interiors invoke memory, myth, and the passage of time.
He has also published extensively on photography theory and criticism, notably essays such as *Multiple Originals* exploring photographic reproduction and originality, and monographs on photographers including Andreas Embirikos and Panayotis Fatseas.
Stathatos’s contributions bridge Greek poetic tradition, photographic artistry, and curatorial innovation—firmly placing him among the most influential voices in European photographic discourse.
He studied philosophy and political science at the London School of Economics before launching a multi-decade career in photography and publishing, including poetry, photojournalism, and editorial writing for publications such as The Guardian, Art Monthly, Creative Camera, and European Photography.
His major photographic series—such as *The Book of Lost Cities*, *Airs, Waters, Places*, *Lumen*, *Lithoi / Stones*, *The Gardens of the Hesperides*, and *Three Heraclitean Elements*—combine landscape with cultural memory and philosophical reflection.
Stathatos curated landmark exhibitions including *Image & Icon: The New Greek Photography 1975–1995*—the first comprehensive survey of postwar Greek photography—which toured internationally. He also founded the Kythera Photographic Encounters and its accompanying Conference on the History of Greek Photography in 2002.
Working from his adopted home on the island of Kythera, Stathatos's photography reflects a deeply metaphysical aesthetic: abstracted compositions of ruins, elemental forms, gardens, and natural interiors invoke memory, myth, and the passage of time.
He has also published extensively on photography theory and criticism, notably essays such as *Multiple Originals* exploring photographic reproduction and originality, and monographs on photographers including Andreas Embirikos and Panayotis Fatseas.
Stathatos’s contributions bridge Greek poetic tradition, photographic artistry, and curatorial innovation—firmly placing him among the most influential voices in European photographic discourse.
