Yorgos Lanthimos Explores Photography's Liberating Power Beyond Filmmaking
Renowned filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, celebrated for his distinctive cinematic creations such as 'Dogtooth' and 'Poor Things', recently offered profound insights into his increasingly deep connection with still photography. On the occasion of his exhibition, 'Yorgos Lanthimos: Photographs', opening at Onassis Stegi in Athens, the director articulated how this medium provides a unique sense of liberation, contrasting sharply with the intricate and collaborative world of movie production. This exhibition, scheduled from March 7th to May 17th, 2026, features a comprehensive collection of his photographic work, inviting audiences to explore the subtle yet powerful narratives embedded within his individual images.
A recurring theme in Lanthimos's commentary revolves around the inherent independence photography affords, especially when juxtaposed with the complex machinery of film production. While filmmaking demands extensive crews, significant financial resources, strict schedules, and the careful orchestration of numerous elements, photography allows for a much more direct and solitary engagement with the world. He likens the act of holding a camera and simply walking to a fundamental gesture that often initiates his photographic process, shedding the conventional expectations associated with narrative creation. This approach emphasizes an unburdened creative exploration, where the absence of a preconceived outcome becomes a form of artistic liberty.
For Lanthimos, the journey into photography began not as an intentional artistic pursuit, but as a practical requirement during his film school days. He recalls learning that cinema, at its core, consists of 24 frames per second, necessitating a foundational understanding of photography. Initially, this skill served as a stepping stone towards his primary ambition of filmmaking, rather than an artistic end in itself. However, as he continued his cinematic work, the camera became an indispensable tool for observation, gradually transforming his technical proficiency into a profound personal connection with still images. This evolving relationship allowed him to appreciate photography not merely as a prerequisite for film but as a distinct and deeply satisfying creative outlet.
Lanthimos views the still image as operating within a unique temporal framework, one that permits meaning to remain fluid and open to interpretation. Unlike the definitive sequences of cinema, a photograph can exist independently or integrate into various collections, its significance shifting with each new context. This adaptability extends to the multiple formats photography can assume post-capture; an image might appear in a book, an exhibition, or a different visual series, each iteration inviting fresh perspectives. This inherent fluidity, he argues, sets photography apart from the more rigid narrative structures of film. An illustrative example of this is VISCIN, a photobook accompanying his exhibition, designed as a leporello fold that visually mirrors a film strip, assembling photographs from the set of 'Bugonia' into a continuous visual narrative.
Furthermore, Lanthimos emphasized the tangible qualities of analog photography, particularly in an era dominated by digital media. The act of producing a physical photographic print holds deep significance for him. He describes the ritualistic satisfaction of taking a roll of film, developing it, and holding the prints in his hands. This immediate, tactile experience contrasts sharply with the often-extended timelines of filmmaking, where the audience connection is delayed. The sensory engagement with the print, its texture, and even its scent, becomes an integral part of the artistic process. The exhibition at Onassis Stegi showcases four distinct bodies of work from the past five years, featuring images from films like 'Poor Things' and 'Bugonia', alongside a new series captured in Greece. These works explore a diverse range of subjects, from people and landscapes to animals and architectural fragments, each imbued with potential narrative depth without demanding a fixed interpretation.
A poignant moment in the discussion arose when Lanthimos reflected on his earliest visual memories, revealing a profound connection between photography and the process of human recollection. Despite claiming a poor memory, he observed that his childhood fragments manifest not as continuous events but as discrete, isolated images. This realization led him to understand how the still frame inherently mirrors the structure of memory itself, asserting that every significant moment in his life exists as an image. This focus on isolated moments permeates the photographs on display, inviting viewers to engage with subjects that carry their own inherent meaning, whether it's a building, a face, or an animal. Ultimately, he suggests, a photograph reveals as much about the viewer's perception as it does about its subject.