Athens as seen by photographer Philippe Plisson
French photographer Philippe Plisson is a «fisher of images,» as the title of one of his best-known books – «The Sea and Fishers of Images» – proclaims. In love with water, he travels the world by helicopter or catamaran, recording the sea, its people, lighthouses and boats. His latest work «Athens – Between Sea and Sky,» is a lavish volume published by the Municipality of Athens, as well as an exhibition of 100 photographs at the Technopolis arts complex. The exhibition is another opportunity to see how an important photographer deals with the urban nature of Athens and its relation to the Argo-Saronic Gulf. Plisson came to Greece in March and in 35 days took more than 4,500 photos, not only of Piraeus and the islands of the Argo-Saronic Gulf, but also of streets, squares and buildings. His photographs are an anthology of familiar images that suddenly perk our interest as most of them are aerial shots. He told the journalists who met with him at the book launch that he hasn’t finished with Athens, and that he would like to take more photographs now that the Olympic projects have been completed. Plisson was born in central France but used to spend his holidays with his family by the sea, and when it was time to go home, he used to cry at the thought of leaving the water. Now, as the official artist of the French navy, he bears the official title of Marine Painter, which has been awarded to only one living painter since the time of the monarchy. If you go to Gazi to see Plisson’s outdoor exhibition, don’t forget that the Technopolis complex (100 Pireos) is showing another three exhibitions until September 28: «City Games,» with works by contemporary Greek artists; «Olympic Games 1896,» with photographs by Albert Mayer from the Benaki Archive; and «Spirit in Motion,» a photographic exhibition on the Paralympics.
