Behind the Lens: Klavdia Balampanidou
March 17th, 2022
Interview by Kate Neave @katylovesart
In the first of our new series, photographer-to-watch Klavdia Balampanidou opens up about the secrets behind 5 key images from her practice.
Klavdia uses photography as a tool to explore herself, to understand what is means to be human and communicate with the world. I first saw Klavdia’s work when she was included in 30 Under 30 Women Photographers 2021 and I was immediately hooked. Her powerful photographs have such a raw quality and delve deep into emotions to which we immediately relate.
Her 'They Sing a Song Only You can Hear’ series explores feelings of loss and uncertainty at the end of a relationship and her ‘From Hand to Mouth’ series explores the female body in the context of feelings of fragility and anxiety. Klavdia’s work chimes with the pioneering work of women photographers of the Interwar Period such as Dora Maar, Claude Cahun and Lee Miller. Her work strips bare themes of identity, gender, mental health and the pressures of the modern world. Here, Klavdia reveals what she was thinking and how she shot these extraordinary photographs.
1) From Hand to Mouth
From Hand to Mouth was my first photographic project. It is all about womanhood and how we, as women, can freely express ourselves. We grow up in a patriarchal system which is defined by the heterosexual male gaze and I was trying to understand my role in this society. I wondered how I could eliminate all the stereotypes that I had absorbed which were harming me and holding me back. I was attempting to express myself as a young woman and at the same time to talk about my anxiety and stress.
This picture was the first of the series, and I took it after a photography lesson that I had in Thessaloniki, Greece. I had returned to the place I was living and I was feeling terrible about myself. I wanted to prove to myself that I was a good photographer and that I was following the right path. I set up my tripod, did my nails - or at least tried to do so- and there I was in front of my camera expressing myself.
“I wanted to prove to myself that I was a good photographer and that I was following the right path.”
Years later, looking at the photograph, I can understand that I wanted to say something but I wasn’t ready yet. I wanted to regain intimacy with myself and talk about how I was feeling. Sometimes, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. My body was exhausted and I had symptoms of anxiety such as hair loss. I was fascinated by the idea that the body can speak and express a person’s feelings which is why I included mostly bodies and gestures in this series. This picture was my starting point as it captures exactly the concept I had in mind.
2) From Hand to Mouth
Through understanding myself, I was attempting to understand others. So I started talking about my project with my friends. I asked them if the had any related issues and if they want to be part of it. I wanted to create a safe space and stick to indoor locations.
Maria was one of the people who trusted me and we did some great shots. I went to her home and chose her clothes for the shoot. When I saw her synthetic fur, I noticed that it had exactly the same look as Pepe’s fur - her dog- and I knew that I had to take a picture.
The picture of a person holding another creature was so meaningful to me as it made me realise that I was in need of a hug and to feel safe and ‘hide’ for a while.
The title From Hand to Mouth is a reference to a Bruce Nauman sculpture made with wax (1967), but at the same time it works for me as a statement, talking about two parts of the body which are collaborating in order to feed our needs, appetite, or our thoughts. And this was my message about the choices that we make; we have the power in our hands and we can help ourselves.
3) They Sing a Song Only You Can Hear
The series They Sing a Song Only You Can Hear developed after the end of a long term relationship and is focused on the feelings that came with the break up. For me, it felt like entering into a void, overwhelmed by an atmosphere of being alone, lost and seeking to be found or find something. Many things were unclear back then but one thing was obvious. I had to enter into the void in order to come out of it more mature, confident and in order to re-identify myself in the present.
“This picture stands as the core of the project as it captures the essence of the series. It shows something unknown, mysterious, something that comes from the ground which is powerful and tranquil at the same time.”
I was thinking a lot about the concept of transformation and I was attracted by gates, gaps, holes and broken things. I was aiming to create a visual narrative that was based on my dreams - mixing dreams with reality in order to create a new visual world. After all, dreams are unexpected reflections of reality. This picture stands as the core of the project as it captures the essence of the series. It shows something unknown, mysterious, something that comes from the ground which is powerful and tranquil at the same time.
4) THEY SING A SONG ONLY YOU CAN HEAR
I wanted to take the series a step further and evolve, to learn new things and push myself out of my comfort zone. So I went to outdoor locations and collaborated with strangers I found there. I wanted to show them with fewer and fewer clothes each time. It represented a need to be free. The people in my photographs were exposed to my lens as they were, powerful and fragile at the same time.
The title They Sing a Song Only You Can Hear is from an anonymous quote about the intimate connection between lovers and has been incorrectly attributed to Oscar Wilde. I loved this confusion and also the idea that two people can sing a song only they can understand. It’s such a pure image of something we desperately need, the deep connection and this level of intimacy with another human being.
5) Work in Progress
I'm driven by the mysteries of the nature–it’s clear to me that we are mystical creatures and a part of something bigger. During lockdowns, mental health professionals were advising us to get in touch with nature in order to generate positive emotions such as calmness and joy. Indeed, a connection with nature is associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety.
This series is about the vital relationship between human beings and nature. The young, tired people in my photographs are seeking to find a temporary shelter and enjoy some moments of solitude, freedom, relief and an escape, for a while, from the madness of this oppressive modern world. I believe that many people of my generation can relate to this. We are fed up and we feel tired and mentally exhausted. This photograph captures Sotiris in waterfalls, somewhere in Cyprus.
Sometimes I think that my works are about some kind of a trauma or wound that I’m constantly trying to heal. My purpose is to come as close as possible to myself; to become a better human being, meaning to be sensitive and powerful, sharp and gentle. I have come to the conclusion that this is who I am and my photographs are able to capture it.
“The people in my photographs were exposed to my lens as they were, powerful and fragile at the same time. ”
About Klavdia Balampanidou
Klavdia Balampanidou (b.1991) is a Greek photographer, born in Avranlo, Georgia and based in Nicosia, Cyprus. She studied Audiovisual Arts at the Department of Sound and Visual Arts of the Ionian University and she holds a Master’s degree in History and Theory of Art from the Department of Fine Arts at the Technological University of Cyprus. In 2021, she was selected by Artpil for 30 Under 30 Women in Photography with an exhibition in Rome and she won Young Greek Photographer of the Year in 2018. Balampanidou held a solo exhibition of her work ‘The Sing a Song Only You can Hear’ at Youth Makerspace, Lanarca in 2020. Recent group exhibitions include the Charta Festival Rome (2021), Public Art, iFocus Photo Gallery, Athens (2019) and Photoworks presents ‘Collaborate’ at Free Range, Truman Brewery, London (2018).