In the evocative photography project In Landscapes by Petros Koublis, the artist delves into the profound and enigmatic relationship between humanity and nature, exploring landscapes as both tangible and transcendent realms.
Koublis’s work unfolds the human spirit, likening it to a wavy veil—fragile yet confident—revealing parts of our existence while simultaneously concealing others, much like the ephemeral nature of memory and the elusive fragments of our origins.
Koublis’s photographs venture beyond the visible spectrum, delving into the metaphysical and mythological realms. They remind us of the ancient attempts to harmonize rational thought with philosophical musings, a synthesis that shaped both modern science and mystical allegories. In this regard, his landscapes are more than mere representations of physical spaces; they serve as portals to the deeper, often obscured, layers of human experience and consciousness.
The project began in November 2012, just beyond the outskirts of Athens, where Koublis sought to capture the transformation of familiar natural landscapes into distant, otherworldly states. This proximity to the city underscores the metaphorical nature of landscapes, suggesting that profound and mysterious worlds exist just beyond our immediate perception. These photographs, taken less than 30 miles from Athens, encapsulate a sense of timelessness and mystery, as if time itself flows differently within these spaces. They evoke a silence filled with a patient whispering, a language of a forgotten past.
Koublis’s images are imbued with a sense of undefined, mystical presence, reflecting a lost connection between humanity and the beauty of nature. This disconnection is further mirrored in the artificial illusions of collapsing urban environments. The project suggests that true beauty is not found in static, eternal forms but in the ever-changing and enduring essence of nature. It is a beauty that is far, strange, and unfamiliar, yet filled with a hopeful silence, inviting contemplation and a reimagining of our relationship with the natural world.
Through In Landscapes, Petros Koublis invites viewers to transcend the boundaries of perception and to explore the landscapes not just as physical spaces, but as reflections of our inner selves and our connection to the world. His work challenges us to perceive the hidden, to lift the veil of reality, and to glimpse the infinite possibilities that lie beyond.
