Born in Alexandroupolis Greece in 1969, Theodosis Giannakidis studied Electrical Engineering in Greece and had his master degree in UK. He began photography studies after the university taking part in courses organized by NELE. After 1995 he is working in black and white photography. He is a founding member of Creative Photography Center of Thrace based in Alexandroupolis and has organized a number of workshops and presentations of Greek and International photographers including Haris Kakarouxas, George Georgiou, Vanessa Winship, Arif Asci and more . Couple of years now he is working in medium and large format photography. His work “Alexandroupolis:Space in Limbo” was exhibited in Athens Photo Festival 2010 and at Michalis Cacoyannis Foundation in 2011. In 2014 part of his work exhibited at PhotoBiennale in Thessaloniki as part of the "Terra Thrakia" project.
Gipsy festival taking place in Edirne, Turkey
This is a collection of images, from the interiors of old buildings, in my city, Alexandroupolis. The idea of displaying these spaces arose when in 2009 visited the Zareifios Paidagogiki Akadimia (Zareifios Primary School), my school. I was immediately inspired by the empty classrooms and the amazing light that came in through the windows. This light is a reflection of the building’s history, a reflection that is, of an institution that has remained active for 70 years. The first series of photographs was taken that day and is the start of a record, of what is left of this building and of others in various parts of the city, which have remained unchanged. Driven by my desire to keep alive a world onced expirienced, made of objects that are almost lost to us, I collect visual images of fragments and interiors, as would a persistent collector, in order to listen to the quiet echo of their voices and to save them from the inertia of oblivion.
The land of Thrace. My homeland, the historic land I grew up and still live comprises nowadays parts of three countries, Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey. My project “Thrace 612” in this region began in 2009. Having a closer look at my pictures I have realized the complexity and the multiculturalism of the greater Thracian area in which the bonds to nature, religion and folklore still remain strong. The southeastern part of Bulgaria, for instance, with the remnants of the former regime has been kept in years of isolation, the European part of Turkey still retains its old-world charm while the Greek part of Thrace is home to different cultural groups which contribute to its unique identity. The cobblestone road in Sxinoudi Imvros island, the old brickyard in Mandritsa, the river boat at the delta of the river Evros, the land of Thrace. Theodosis Giannakidis