For eight years, Evangelia Kranioti immersed herself in the daily life of sailors. Fascinated by the maritime world and in an attempt to tell their individual stories, the photographer took to the sea. Steeped in texts by Nikos Kavvadias on wandering, Evangelia Kranioti boarded Greek merchant navy boats first, where she documented the life of these sailors whom she accompanied. Through them, she created intimate portraits, which she mixed with landscapes that were scattered throughout the crossings. From Greece, from where she originated, she reached the Latin American coasts, while passing by Asia. The miles had come one after another during these endless journeys.
Currently exhibited at CRP (Centre Régional de la Photographie) in Douchy-les-Mines, “Les Feux d’Ulysse” (“Ulysses’ Lights) retraces this modern saga. The exhibition gathers two series, Mediterranea and Erotica Exotica. Here, “Ulysses is Filipino, the argonauts are less tempted by the romantic quest for the Golden Fleece than by the concrete concern of making a living. The container ships accompanied the development of commercial exchange and globalization. Giants of the sea, they connect the continents,” emphasized Muriel Enjalran, curator of the exhibition.
Through her photographs, Evangelia Kranioti invites us to reflect on our relationship to money in our perpetually moving society. At the hour of globalization and premium profitability, sailors’ stopovers make themselves more and more brief.
A young woman faces the sea, the white of her light dress contrasts with her matte skin. A red cargo ship is in the distance. Calypso waits for it. It’s early; the morning haze is still there.
The only female aboard, the photographer studies the complexity of male-female relationships, desire, and solitude, which sparked her interest in port prostitutes and these ephemeral loves. Keeping a certain distance, the photographer reveals intimacy without being intrusive. In the Odyssey, Ulysses warned his crew of the sirens. Here, they are temporary lovers of whom one must beware, these “terrorist carriers of a bomb called Love”.
EXHIBITION
Les Feux d’Ulysse, Evangelia Kranioti
From March 12th to May 29th, 2016
CRP / Centre régional de la photographie
Place des Nations
59282 Douchy-les-Mines
France
http://www.crp.photo
