The loss of my parents stood as the reason for this project. As french psychologist Pierre Janet said, Memory aims to overcome absence (Janet P., 1928, 221).
By observing the works of other artists’ and reading the texts of theorists like Halbwachs and Barthes, I investigated the ways in which “memory” and “loss” could define my work, which stems from the personal need to keep the memory of my parents alive. Halbwachs defines the meaning of collective memory within a social context and the collectivity of social groups, that shape individual memory. Barthes discusses how photography correlates to memory and remembrance. The latter theories accompany the research of my work.
As an artist, I created images of some of my parents’ personal items. These items escape their everyday identity and function as evidence of my parents’ preserved memory.
My aim is to create a sense in which one can conceive the “presence” of absence that the personal items convey. Thus, a transition is realized between what was and what no longer is, between the actual loss and the spectators association with a familiar experience. The photographes that occurs is a result of research and reflection on a personal but also collective issue, which remains in its character sociopolitical, intercultural and timeless.
About Dimitris Sideridis
Dimitris Sideridis was born in Istanbul, Turkey in November 1970. He studied architectural design at AKTO College of Arts and Design. He has a postgraduate degree on “Master of Arts in Photography and Visual Language” (scholarship) from the Middlesex University of London. He is a senior photographer whose award-winning work has been featured in some of the world’s biggest news websites and shown in exhibitions in his native, Greece, and elsewhere in Europe. Currently based in Qatar, he has an exceptional record of managing teams and producing engaging content based on the highest professional standards. In 2019, he published “Rafael Trejo – Dukes on the Ropes”, a photo book about the oldest gym in Cuba’s capital, Havana, that is renowned for producing world-class boxers.
Over the past four years, he has been a frequent contributor to CNN’s website, providing images and copy for features reported from Qatar, Greece and Cyprus, among others. His exceptional travel-focused work has been viewed by millions of online users and redistributed to a number of other international websites. Similarly, he has been a regular contributor to Al Jazeera English’s website and online platforms, producing content on a wide range of topics. A holder of a Qatar residency permit, he also collaborated with the country’s Pro-TV in 2018 when he worked as a Photo Manager/Photographer at the 11th Artistic Gymnastics World Cup.
His photographs have been honored at a number of prestigious awards, including the IPA International Photo Awards (2019) for his image titled “Arab night at the Souq” and the PX3 Prix de La Photographie Paris (2018) for his work titled “35ο 09’00’’Ν033ο 16’38’’Ε ΙΑΤΑ: NIC – ICAO: LCNC” about the abandoned old airport in Nicosia, Cyprus.
