A photographic study of trees

‘Arboretum,’ a series that Aris Georgiou began 10 years ago is presented at the Athens Gallery

A. KOROXENIDIS

An arboretum is defined as a botanical garden devoted to trees or as a collection of trees intended, at least partly, for scientific study.

In “Arboretum,” the title of a solo, photography exhibition on the work of photographer and architect Aris Georgiou, the artist becomes a close observer of nature. He captures the texture and shape of pine and olive trees, frames his views in vertical shapes that make reference to tree trunks and makes trees both the form and content of his work.

The photographs that are on display at the Athens Gallery span almost a decade of work. The early ones are more naturalistic. They show landscapes of mostly pine forests photographed from an angle that underlines the verticality of the trunks. In some images, the trees are few and far between; they appear like solitary creatures, noble and aged.

The pictures seem to have been taken both from the perspective of curiosity and an empirical approach, but also contain an emotional involvement. The titles combine matter-of-fact information with imaginative associations and humor. The caption under a picture showing three tree trunks reads “Triple Tree Trip” and in “Trees with Socks” the corresponding photograph shows the whitewashed trunks of pine trees.

Man’s imposition on nature is an underlying concept behind many of the pictures. The paint marks on the trees appear like wounds inflicted by man and is an ominous reminder of how our way of living is developing farther away from nature.

As the exhibition moves on, the pictures become less naturalistic and more abstract. In “Arboretum,” the close, computer-processed images of tree trunks resemble paintings. The detailed texture seems almost artificial and if it were not for the rest of the pictures, one would not necessarily guess that these are trees.

The more Georgiou delves into the formal qualities of trees, the less naturalistic his pictures become.

Nature and trees are understood as textures, structures and ideas.

Befittingly, the exhibition ends with two conceptual works. Here, nature becomes an abstract notion. In “Luxembourg Vertical,” a double image which shows a pathway lined on either side by a row of trees, the focus is not on the trees but on the narrow band of sky that appears between the foliage and the reflection of the light on the ground. Both in this picture and in a horizontal, frieze-like photograph depicting the Luxembourg gardens (the photograph is made up of successive views), trees are understood as architectural elements that structure space and divide time.

Moving from the naturalistic to the conceptual, “Arboretum” yields both an intellectual and emotional approach to nature. It gives trees a presence and significance that passes unnoticed in our daily lives and creates interesting associations between the natural and manmade environment.

“Arboretum” by Aris Georgiou at the Athens Gallery (4 Glykonos, Kolonaki, 210.721.3938) through Saturday.