Spyros Paloukis

Photojournalism Award

Spyros Paloukis

Spyros Paloukis, a member of the Chamber of Fine Arts of Greece (EEET), approaches photography through personal documentary. He creates series of portraits that focus on the evolving dynamics of individuals and communities, using his camera as a tool for a journey of discovery—a constant movement from the internal to the external, and back again. His practice centers on long-term photographic projects, inspired by personal experiences, biblical narratives, and Greek myths.

His artistic development has been significantly influenced by the mentorship of renowned photographer Stratos Kalafatis. Paloukis’s work consists of photo albums and novels, and in collaboration with Nikos Vlandis at Magic Box & Fata Morgana Publications, he has extend his exploration of storytelling by having published various books. For the past five years, he has been deeply engaged in two long-term projects: the award-winning “Αγαπάτε Αλλήλους: the Portrait of Faith in Greece”, an exploration of the polyphony of religious expression in Greece, and “Light of Light”, a personal reflection on life on the island of Mykonos.

The Constitution of Greece: Article 13
The Freedom of Religion

  1. Freedom of religious conscience is inviolable. The enjoyment of civil rights and liberties does not depend on the individual’s religious beliefs.
  2. All known religions shall be free and their rites of worship shall be performed unhindered and under the protection of the law. The practice of rites of worship is not allowed to offend public order or the good usages. Proselytism is prohibited.
  3. The ministers of all known religions shall be subject to the same supervision by the State and to the same obligations towards it as those of the prevailing religion.
  4. No person shall be exempt from discharging his obligations to the State or may refuse to comply with the laws by reason of his religious convictions.
  5. No oath shall be imposed or administered except as specified by law and in the form determined by law.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER
The Portrait of Faith in Greece

Greece is a small country with a rich History. It has a small population (ten million), and large land and sea borders. Its human geography consists mainly of Greeks, but also a percentage of immigrants and refugees. In Greece, although religious homogeneity prevails (90% of Greeks declare themselves Orthodox Christians), there is a plurality of religious communities based on the three monotheistic religions –Christianity, Judaism, Islam– which is of ethnographic and anthropological interest. All these people live in the same country and perform their religious duties, sometimes ignoring each other and sometimes living side by side. The link that binds them all together is Faith. In every religion there is a fundamental, recurring, multifaceted theme: the power of Faith to heal, to purify trauma, to honor the dead, to express the mystery and beauty of life. Over the centuries, religions have mirrored each other. They have borrowed gestures, hymns, customs and even saints from each other. There have always been many religions, and they have always divided people. But Faith is one. So is humanity. God is one and love is one. But to truly believe, the path is not only intellectual, it is even more internal and goes through the heart. For in order to truly love God and yourself, it is imperative that you love thy neighbor –even your enemy. This photographic work focuses on the universality of faith through love for your neighbor and acceptance of diversity. It consists mainly of portraits, landscapes and details of religious objects. The portraits form the connective tissue of the work and are taken in places of worship in Greece, in intimate interiors, but also in the wider urban environment. The Greek, the immigrant or the refugee are united by Faith, because the immateriality of Faith is illuminated, photographed and synthesized, where people, land and love “become one flesh”.