Yiannis Roussakis
Yiannis was born and raised in Athens, Greece. He studied theoretical physics and telecom engineering. For the past 12 years, he has been living and working around the world. He is currently based in Abu Dhabi. Through his work he attempts to explore the surreal nature of seemingly trivial objects, spaces and moments, reflecting the idea that our personal reality is a state of dreaming. He presented work in solo and collective shows in London, Athens, Budapest, Glasgow, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. His images can be found in private collections, hotels, government buildings and corporate organizations in UAE and worldwide.
Artist statement
From a very early age, people build a personal symbolic language out of fragments of their everyday experience. Some of these symbols have deep roots in archetypal forms of our common legacy as a species. Through this symbolic language we describe and interpret deep internal personal processes. Those symbols are usually made out of the most humble materials, out of experiences that are considered trivial and insignificant, like the curve of a shell, the sound of a pot boiling, the lights and shadows from the streetlights on the bedroom’s ceiling. During our lifetime, whenever we come across one of those personal symbols, we experience an instant moment of clarity. A moment stripped from the usual confusion and continuous noise of the conscious incontinent mind. Our analytical self is caught off guard, unequipped to process and make sense, to extract a safe logical pattern or a "lesson" out of this. The symbol hits below the skin, delivering an instant message, like an echo from the psyche, raw and unprocessed. Some people live their whole lives in a state of calm awareness and observation, until all things around them become symbols, literally transforming everyday life into another dream state, a metaphor about the unconscious reality. An artist is ANYBODY who can capture - in that precious moment of clarity- a line, a shape, a phrase, a sound sequence, anything that works as a symbol for him. Albeit very intimate, this symbol could potentially invoke moments of clarity to other people, too. The human spirit spontaneously responds to all things true.
Awards
2012 - Sony World Photography Awards - Open Category/Commendation for "Huts at Sur"
2014 - Prix de la Photographie Paris PX3 - Professional Category / Portraiture - Bronze Award 3rd Place
2016 - Tokyo International Foto Awards - Honorable Mention Winner
Exhibitions
1992 - Collective exhibitions in Patras and Athens (University of Patras, under the aegis of Plato Rivelis/Athens Photography Cycle)
2011 - Art Exhibition - Collective - Virginia Gallery, Merchant City , Glasgow, UK
2012 - "Huts at Sur, Oman" - Commended photo/Open Category, 2012 Sony World Photography Awards
2012 - Published in 2012 Sony World Photography Awards Book
2012 - Participation at 2012 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition at Somerset House, London, UK
2012 - Solo Exhibition, "Dreamt I Was Walking On Earth" - Katakouzenos Museum, Syntagma Square, Athens, Greece
2012 - "QUEENS" exhibition - 60 Years, 60 Artists (Diamond Jubilee of HRH Queen Elizabeth II) - Virginia Galleries, Glasgow, UK
2012 - Merchant City Festival - pop up exhibition in various locations in the city, Glasgow, UK
2013 - "Archetype" Solo Exhibition - Art Hub, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2013 - "Secret Landscapes/Mina Port" + "Grand Mosque" Exhibitions - Etihad Modern Art Gallery, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2013 - Permanent exhibit at Etihad Modern Art Gallery, Abu Dhabi, UAE / Resident Artist
2013 - Selected by UAE Government to provide local heritage imagery in all Embassies and Consulates worldwide
2014 - Art Souq 2014, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2014 - No White Walls Art Show, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2014 - Prix de la Photographie Paris PX3 - Professional Category / Portraiture - Bronze Award 3rd Place
2015 - "Secret Landscapes" selected by Etihad Airways for A380 aircrafts - First Class lounge
2015 - Dubai World Cup - The Meydan Hotel, Horse Racing Club , Dubai, UAE
2015 - "Human Condition", No White Walls Art Show, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2016 - Solo Exhibition "Million Street", Etihad Modern At Gallery, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2016 - "Kodak Nation", No White Walls Art Show, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2016 - Solo Exhibition "Million Street", Art Moments Festival, Várkert Bazár, Budapest, Hungary
2016 - Art Market Budapest, Collective, Etihad Modern Art/Hybrid Art Management, Budapest, Hungary
2017 - Solo Exhibition, "Songs for Everyone", Etihad Modern At Gallery, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Artist Website