Boston University College of Fine Arts
The Intersection of Photography and Sculpture: Capturing Sculptor Robert Bodem
Personal Reflection: The Art of Capturing a Sculptor
As a photographer, the opportunity to capture a sculptor like Robert Bodem offers a unique challenge and a beautiful intersection of two art forms. Just as Robert shapes clay to create form, I use light, shadow, and composition to shape an image. The parallels between our crafts were undeniable during the photoshoot. Sculptors and photographers alike work with space, form, and texture, relying on an instinctive understanding of how to turn raw material—whether physical or visual—into something profound.
There’s a delicate dance between the subject and the camera when photographing an artist, especially one whose entire being is rooted in the physical creation of art. With Robert, I sought to emphasize the hands, the expressions, and the pauses between moments—those fleeting gestures that seem to embody his sculptural philosophy.
Robert Bodem’s Philosophy: Drawing in Space
Robert Bodem’s work is deeply rooted in the concept of “drawing in space,” a philosophy that transcends traditional sculpture. As he shared in his interview for the College of Fine Arts magazine, Robert sees sculpture as a way to create dynamic, living forms, often suspended between stillness and movement. His sculptures are not just static objects but explorations of form, designed to engage the viewer from every angle.
In his words, “Sculpture is about the negative space as much as it is about the object itself.” This thoughtful balance is central to his art, where the spaces between forms are just as vital as the material used to create them. The interview explores his journey as an artist, from his rigorous training to his teaching at the Florence Academy of Art, where he helps others discover their potential in capturing the human form in space.
Photographing Robert Bodem for Boston University’s College of Fine Arts magazine was not only a personal artistic journey but also a meaningful collaboration with an institution dedicated to nurturing the next generation of artists. The opportunity to work with the College of Fine Arts allowed me to contribute to an environment where creativity is cultivated and celebrated.
Capturing Robert’s portrait and sculpture work was more than just a photoshoot —it was about telling a story that would resonate with young, aspiring artists. Through these images, I hope to inspire students to push their creative boundaries, to see art in the spaces between forms, and to understand that every gesture, like every stroke of the sculptor’s hand, holds the potential for profound expression. I believe these portraits will serve as a reminder that creativity knows no limits and that art, whether through photography or sculpture, has the power to inspire and transform.
For a deeper dive into Robert’s journey and the photoshoot, you can view the full interview and images in the latest issue of the Boston University College of Fine Arts magazine cover.
Dimitris Papadimitriou
With the title "Cooking is inner prayer", Gastronomos magazine, host the interview of the composer Dimitris Papadimitriou for the August issue. His portrait photography took place at his home accompanied with the great taste of his recipes and an interesting conversation about his music experiences.
Music for cinema, theater and television, symphonic works, pioneering actions and vision. The composer Dimitris Papadimitriou It is still thirsty, after forty years of creation, and quenches the thirst of its recipients. With its prestige and consistent attitude, it brings together artists and people with similar concerns, at the same time giving a step to younger people to show their talents. He is steeped in our popular wealth, he owns its secrets and peculiarities, he knows deeply the ways and places of his libation. His folk songs have his "academic" aura, but they are not ossified, that is why they were sung, loved, they were even danced by the crowd, and most importantly, they stayed!
Quiet strength. It has a "plan", earthly, but also transcendental at the same time. Global, cosmopolitan, that is to say "Greek". He becomes a heretic to forge new paths, he becomes a "wrecker" to flatten swampy stereotypes and build new bridges. He loves cooking and has even received professional offers for his performance. So, my invitation for a culinary interview in a meal at his house. Dimitris Papadimitriou is a hospitable host. The space is similar to his work, flooded with unique art objects, some of which have family roots.
Text by Kostas Balachoutis
Dimitris Papadimitriou has written symphonic works, pieces for solo instruments and combinations of instruments, music for theater and for Greek cinema (Electric Angel, Revenge, Archangel of Passion, The Tree We Hurt, Victory of Samothrace, Lovers in the Time Machine, The Life One and a Half Thousand, The Light Going Out etc.), for Greek television and for television series in Sweden, France, Germany and elsewhere. The general public discovered him because of television.
Known from the beginning of the 1980s until today for his fine compositions, several of which dressed up well-known television hits (such as Anastasia by Giorgos Kordellas in a script by Mirela Papaikonomou, Don't Be Afraid of Fire, Due to Honor, Life which I did not live, Leni and the Witches of Smyrna), Dimitris Papadimitriou has also collaborated with Eleftheria Arvanitaki in a cycle of songs with the general title Songs for the Months, where he set well-known Greek poets to music.
In 2003 he took over as director of the Third Program and in September 2010 general director of Hellenic Radio[5]. Busy but versatile, after his long-term presence in the administration of ERT radio, he founded the Greek Project, a non-profit organization for the promotion of Greek and not only music[6]. In 2006 he gave a concert in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations Organization on the occasion of the organization's 60th birthday. He was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1958.
Panagiotis Marinis
I am sharing portrait photography of a very close friend and a lovely human being, the greek sculptor Panagiotis Marinis. Panagiotis is an example of folk art sculptor that frees the form of his works through his instinct and his connection with nature.
"Sculpting with tireless but wise drive the silent surface of the stone of Aegina, Panagiotis Marinis has been processing and taming its primary material for many decades, skilfully revealing its organic nature, touching its mysterious interior which, between his hands, explodes and transforms into living flesh..." wrote Iris Kritikou in 2018 with a form the group exhibition "Diachronies", in which samples of his work were presented at the Diachronic Museum of Larissa. It returns to the same museum, from July 17 to October 30, 2023, with the solo exhibition entitled "Stone Tools", with a series of sculptures that interact with selected Neolithic and Bronze Age stone tools from the museum's collection. On this occasion, we spoke with the important artist.
Panagiotis Marinis was born in 1955 in Aegina, where he lives and works until today, remaining a lover of nature and folklore and using stone as the main raw material of his work. His involvement in sculpture began in 1981 with the main stimulus being his works and meetings with Christos Kapralos, as well as the work of Grigoris Maltese. His works can be found in private collections in Greece and abroad, at the entrance of the Aegina Town Hall (work in collaboration with the painter Giorgos Chatzimihalis), as well as in the Cypriot Consulate in New York. He maintains a permanent sculpture exhibition in his Agricultural Garden in Kypseli, Aegina. He has held solo exhibitions in Athens ("The Stone He Knew", Genesis Gallery, Athens 2016 curated by: Iris Kritikou) and in Aegina (Historical and Folklore Museum of Aegina, Markello Tower, Aegina) and has participated in many group exhibitions in Museums, archaeological sites, Foundations and private art spaces in Greece and abroad. His works belong to public and private collections in Greece and abroad.
Let There Be Light
Interview By Alexia Amvrazi | July 21st, 2022 about MYRMIΔΟNES to Greece-is.com
In an ode to his native island of Aegina, the photographer talks to Greece Is about its people, its light, and the experiences that shaped his book.
It took 20 years and over 2000 photos for Dimitris Vlaikos to decide it was time to place the soul of his work into the body of a beautiful hard-cover coffee table book that could grace homes around the world.
Titled “Myrmidones” after the name given to the inhabitants of his native Aegina (the introduction aptly explains the various possibilities of where the name originates), the book is composed of images depicting an extraordinary blend of local characters, landscapes and everyday details. The book is mostly anthropocentric, because Vlaikos has honed the art of capturing his subjects’ personal essence without guidance, a talent that has gained him a great reputation as a portrait artist and numerous assignments to photograph well known personalities.
Leafing through the book was a deeply touching experience. The way in which the photographer has captured the essence of his subjects – human or not – makes it an ode of sorts to his home island, rich in emotion, but characterized by stark realism.
Vlaikos spends half of the year in Aegina, chiefly during the summer months, and the rest of his time travels to and fro between various work projects. By creating this book, it seems as if he has established an unbreakable bond with the Saronic island’s people, land and elements, regardless of where he finds himself.
It’s apparent by looking at your book that you harbor a great love for your island.
There are amazing people living there, and it is multifaceted in a way that I’ve rarely witnessed elsewhere. Also, what I love about Aegina is that you can be sitting at a café where there’s a minister drinking coffee and at the table next to him, a fisherman – and the waiter will treat each of them with the same courtesy – or the same rudeness! Some people have described the island as ataxic. You feel and see that.
I think that has a lot to do with the fact that most of the island is flat – so all houses are on the same level, and everyone has the same access and right to light. It’s the same with the sea. There aren’t some beaches that are more exclusive than others, anyone can go to any beach, or rock, and swim. Overall, Aegina seems to bring out a life force in people, and if you’re the kind of person that wants to evolve, it offers you that possibility.”
How did the book project evolve?
The Myrmidones reached a very high level of civilization in antiquity thanks to the elements of their land – the rock, the light, the sea, the raw materials, their drive to create. And until today, these elements remain essentially the same. So the book was my way of juxtaposing the Myrmidones of the past with those of today.
I also wanted to create a book that is like an art object, a beautiful memento to have in one’s house. I put a lot of care into every aspect – including the use of only black ink, which is very rare. I collaborated with a very good friend, the graphic artist Dimitris Makaratzis, who created the cover, as well as Despina Giannouli, who wrote the texts (in Greek and English) and is my wife and writes and directs theatre plays. My professor Vasilis Artikos, whose exhibition “In drum and dance at the rock-cut churches of Lalibela” is currently on show the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens, provided much advice and support, as well as other close friends.
How does the light of Aegina and influence your work?
In my research, I centered on the various elements of light. [In the book, Despoina Giannouli writes: “Thanks to the geomorphology of the island, almost all of its inhabitants can savor the light from sunrise to sunset. The paspara, the white stone and the fine-grained soil reflect the sun’s rays intensifying the colors of nature.”]
It’s not by chance that Nikos Kazantzakis lived there for 20-30 years, or Giannis Moralis, for most of his life, or Christos Kapralos, or the poet Katerina Anghelaki-Rooke, and they all produced their work there – it wasn’t their place for holidays but for creative work. And today the island is home to over 100 artists, so this land, and especially its light has something special that has drawn so many creators from antiquity until the present day. Light is my tool, it’s what made me want to evolve my art.
Apart from light, what do you feel are the other strong elements that inspired this work?
I think the energy of the land plays a significant role, but that’s not something that I can define with words. In the book’s introduction to the origin of the name Myrmidones, one of the ways they’re defined is that they were “the people of the “myriad vibrations,” as Aegina was considered to be a region of strong and sacred energy vibrations, a place fertile for spiritual development.
How did you put the book together?
An important part of this book is the rhythm one follows as one turns the pages. I wanted it to create in the viewer a musical rhythm, a transition from image to image through a story of sorts, like a journey.
Hand of a farmer, Mesagros. © Dimitris Vlaikos / "Myrmidones" book cover. © Dimitris VlaikosWhat will become of the rest of the photos you’ve taken?
They will remain in my archives, and maybe I’ll use them in future. I have a space in my studio/gallery space in Aegina where, upon appointment, one can come and see exhibits.
Central distribution of “Myrmidones” is at “Lixnari Aegina” Bookstore. E-mail: lixnari@otenet.gr. Tel: +30 22970 26424. Shipments are made throughout Greece and abroad.
Eleytheria Deco for Kappa Magazine
In this portrait photography I was pleased to meet and work with one of my favourite greek artists, the lighting designer Eleytheria Deco. I knew Eletheria's Deco work since 2004 when she awarded with EMI award for the light design of the Olympic Games ceremony "Athens 2004 Olympics".
Since then and due to our common interest, "light" ("phos", greek word for light and first synthetic work for photo-graphy) , I have been watching her works with great interest. She has an open field of design like theaters, festivals, museums, public spaces, events and architectural lighting projects. The special thing with her works is that sometimes it is like she has a signature and gives you a feeling that you can identify her aesthetic.
Her recent work was the light design of Acropolis. The new lighting will highlight nine points of the ancient monument: the Acropolis hill, the walls, the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, the Theater of Dionysus, the Stoa of Eumenes and the Sanctuary of Dionysus. As the Culture Ministry underlines, for the first time the choragic monument of Thrasyllos, the Asklepieion of Athens, the caves of Apollo and Aglauros, and the Sanctuary of Aphrodite, will all be illuminated.
It was great pleasure of meeting and work with her for this portrait season for her interview in Kappa Magazine of Kathimerini newspaper. Her portraits published on 19-12-2020.
Alix Dunn for ICAEW Magazine
Alix Dunn for ICAEW magazine. Her portrait photoshoot took place in Athens for her interview about Business and Data managment. Alix Dunn gives advises on technology and data for social impact. She is facilitate inclusive spaces across sectors for complex debate and ethical technology production and she is giving talks about the messy interactions between technology and organisations. Special Thanks to the magazine's crew, art director Wes Mitchell and of course Alix for the coopereation.
Dora Bakogianni
In this portrait photography for Kappa Magazine of Kathimerini News, Dora Bakogianni stand in front of my camera, in the middle of the historical Dionysios Areopagitou Street in Athens.
"Celebrity is a mask that eats the face", said the American writer John Updike. For more than 30 years, Dora Bakogianni has been a famous politician. What is her real face and how long has she "endured" behind the "mask" of political celebrity? In a way, that was the theme of our meeting in her office, with its double view of the Parthenon and the Pillars of Olympian Zeus, at the beginning of Dionysios Areopagitou Street, in Athens. The eldest daughter of Constantinos Mitsotakis, the older sister of the president of New Democracy, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the former minister and almost the leader of the party is the female parliamentarian who has gone through perhaps the most difficult tests and has recorded the longest journey in politics to date. Where does the self-confidence that many admire about her come from, or the arrogance that just as many others insist on accusing her of?
Why be in politics when you know in advance that you will be misunderstood, beaten and never recognized? "There are a million reasons not to be in politics and probably all of them are right. But there is something about politics that you cannot find elsewhere. That incredible satisfaction that you have the ability to change a little stone in things and in the lives of others. It's not true that you can't. You can. Evrytania today is not the same as Evrytania in 1989. I used to cross the rivers walking on a log and there are now bridges. Evrytania had four doctors and now she has thirty-six, while she had reached forty-eight.
"And yet, I have no faith in myself," she says as she begins to slowly and steadily remove the mask, wanting to show that her real face is the same as the one she's had since she was a little girl in Athens and Crete. "It's a myth that I have a lot of confidence. Instead, I'm a woman with terrible insecurities and too many complexes. My main concern for many years was my height. Terrible complex. No boy would dance with me. I was the tallest and ugliest in the class. My mom sent me to ballet. But the teachers made me dance backwards. Eventually I found myself near a warehouse and left, because I was messing up the line. My grandmother had told me that there was no way I would ever find a man in my life, because as tall as I am, who would care to take me? And at school, my grades reached 16-17 at the most. I saw the twenties with binoculars."
The smile as a "defense"
But how does this description square with her public image? "When I entered politics, confidence became part of my public image, because what I didn't want at all was to reveal those fears and that insecurity. I felt that if others took my great weaknesses for granted, they would trample me down. After that, no one ever found out what my fears were. I was once attacked for smiling. But the smile is a pure form of defense. Apart from the fact that I smile by nature, in difficult times the smile is a defense, and I would say that it is a very good defense, since it irritates a lot of people..."
Text by Pavlos Papadopoulos for Kathimerini
