ELEPHANT is a deeply personal photographic exploration of empty nest syndrome, sparked by my son’s departure for his studies. His absence created a suffocating emptiness in our home an unspoken weight that materialized as an elephant in the room.
In the heavy shadow of this absence, I turned to my photographic archive, where I rediscovered fragments of our shared past detached from their original context yet profoundly resonant in this new reality. The series blends archival and new imagery, unfolding as a visual meditation on absence, grief, and transformation. It concludes with the image of my child walking away in a snowy landscape a poignant symbol of his freedom to explore life and my quiet acceptance of this transition. Through this process, I have not only documented a journey of separation but also redefined my own role as a father.
The project premiered as a photobook at Polycopies (Paris, November 2024) and is scheduled to be presented as a solo exhibition at DL Gallery, Piraeus, Greece, in March 2025 (curated by Nina Kassianou, historian and curator of photography). It has also been selected for presentation at Les Boutographies Festival, Montpellier, France, in May 2025.
At its core, ELEPHANT is a search for meaning in the echoes of absence a redemptive proposition that invites viewers to reflect on their own moments of transition and transformation.
About Dimitris Mytas
Born in Athens, Greece (1970), Dimitris Mytas was introduced to the world of photography in the early 1990s. Since then, he has adhered to the belief that “aesthetics is the ethics of the future”, fostering a deep, daily engagement with the photographic medium. Mytas’ work focuses on long-term projects approached in an experiential manner. He believes that photography, when aspiring to aesthetic value, must consciously avoid generalities, instead finding its balance on the edge of abstraction. His themes often explore both personal and universal aspects of human experience, aiming to present redemptive and thought-provoking perspectives. [office website]
