BIOGRAPHY

YANNIS PSILAKIS (1967-2006)

Yannis Psilakis was born in Athens in 1967 and studied World History in London. His involvement with photography began when he took an elective course at the University of London. From that time on it became his sole means of "visualizing" and recording his knowledge and experiences.

His professional involvement with photography began on 1997 with a focus on travel and the folklore of isolated corners of the planet and the study of the last indigenous tribes.

Ha traveled from the islands of Indonesia to the highlands of Papua New Guinea and Pakistan, the interior of India and Kashmir, to Ethiopia and Tunisia, to the Andes in Bolivia and Chile.

During his stay in these places he lived with the tribes of the Mentawai on the island of Siberut in the Indian Ocean, the Huli in the mountains of Papua New Guinea, the Kalash on the mountain ranges of Karakoram, the Hunzakut in the Indian Caucasus and the Indian tribes of Mapuche and Aymara in the Amazon and the Andes in Latin America.

His love for civilizations that are unknown in the western world and his integration and assimilation into these societies during his sojourn there, led him to study their music and to play their traditional instruments.

A large part of this work has been published in Greek and foreign publications and has received international acclaim.