About the Artist

Christina Drakos

Born in Limassol Cyprus, Christina studied Economics at Nice and Tourism Management in Paris.

For the last 25 years photography has been an important part of her life, in which her travels around the world have been her inspiration. Through the lens she freezes the moment, yet allows the imagination to continue the story...

Photographs by her have been exhibited at International F.I.A.P. (International Federation of the Art of Photography) exhibitions in Austria, Greece, Slovakia, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Croatia, France, Italy, Scotland and China. She has also presented her work at the Pan-Hellenic Competition of Photography and the Finnish Biennale.

In 1997 she published "The Journey", a series of colour photographs taken on her wanderings around the globe. All proceeds from the book were donated to the "Ayia Skepi" Drug Rehabilitation Centre in Cyprus. In December 1999 she published "Angels of Light" with colour photographs of children from various countries, all proceeds of which went to the Child Focus Foundation in Belgium.

In May 2002 she published the “Close Ups” with black and white photos from 13 different countries around the world (Livanis Publications Greece) all proceeds went to "Theotokos Foundation" in Cyprus. In 2009 she has published together with her daughter Myrsini "Mother India" (Athens Voice Books) with photos they have taken together during their expedition to India and the Himalaya. All proceeds from “Mother India” went to the Doctors without borders (MSF).

From 2001 until today Christina had 20 personal exhibitions with her works in Limassol, Nicosia, Brussels, Istanbul, Athens, Paris, Isle-sur-la-Sorge (Avignon) and Bologna. All proceeds from the sales of her photos went to several charity organizations.

Following her heart and inspirations in January 2013, Christina founded Sagapo Children's Foundation (www.sagapo.org) and actively works towards fulfilling its mission – to help provide children worldwide with the necessary learning environments for them to thrive in their communities.

Christina is a member of the Cyprus Photographic Society (CPS), Image Sans Frontière (ISF), GPU (Global Photographic Union) and the Photographic Society of America (PSA).

During 2008 Christina was recognized by F.I.A.P. with the title of EFIAP (Artist of Excellence of the International Federation of the Art of Photography).

The distinction "Excellence FIAP" (EFIAP) is awarded to authors who, apart from having an excellent technique and an abundant production, have often been accepted in many international salons under FIAP Patronage.

Since 2016 Christina lives and works in Paris following her studies in painting and drawing at L'École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts ( ENSBA )

In July 2019 Christina joined the European Cultural Academy in Venice and worked on a group project dedicated to the Venice Biennale immersing with a group of 27 other International artists, gallerists and curators from around the world.

In February 2021, her work “Femmes Folles” was selected by the Société des Artistes Français to be exhibited at the famous Art Capital exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris.

Today, many of Christina’s works make part of private collections around the world.

Cityscapes Mindscapes Escapes #art #artgallery #artist #artcollector #artcurator #contemporaryart #contemporary #acrylicpainting #collage_art #ceramiquedart #limassol #cyprusevents #viewer #ensbaparis #beauxartsparis #beauxartsmag #artist #artescapeitaly
From clay to bronze #art #sculpture #gallery #lumierecontemporaryart #bronze #bronzesculpture #curator #viewer #contemporary #contemporarysculpture #womanartist #woman #womanpower #limassol #limassolluxury #collectart #collector #beauxartsparis #aslny
Art en Vogue #art #artist #artgallery #lumierecontemporaryart #contemporaryart #collector #artist #artista #cyprusevents #limassol #painting #sculpture
Ready to be turned into bronze #sculpture #art #portrait #portraitsculpture #lumiereartgallery #bronze #contemporaryart #contemporarysculpture #contemporaryartist #artistefemme #cyprus #cypriotartist #sculptures #sculptureartist
A Mega Thank you to the Ambassador of France 🇫🇷 in Cyprus, her Excellency Mrs Salina Grenet-Gatalano for offering my book « Paris que j’aime » today to the President of Cyprus Mr Christodoulides. I am immensely grateful and honoured 🙏🙏🙏 Un énorme merci à l’Ambassadrice de France 🇫🇷 à Chypre Mme Salina Grenet-Gatalano d’offrir mon livre « Paris que j’aime » au Président de Chypre aujourd’hui. Je suis très reconnaissante et honorée 🙏🙏🙏 #francechypre #france #chypre #ambassadedefrance #photographylovers #art #frenchartist #blackandwhitephotography #beauxartsparis #singulart #fiap_official #presidentofcyprusandcrappp
« La femme en blanc » traveled to Rome, limited edition 6/10 #art #photography #blackandwhite #filmphotography #parisquejaime #artwork #artist #artist photographer #fiap_official #singulart #singulartist #efiap #rome #gallery #lumiereartgallery
Immensely grateful that my exhibition « Paris que j’aime » together with my book with the same title traveled from Paris Square Saint Medard @mairiedu5 to @lumierecontemporaryart and now will land in Nicosia @institutfrancaischypre  Opening on the 21st of March at 18h Duration until the 5th of April 2023 Venez nombreux 🥂🙏🥂 #art #photography #photographers #institutfrançais #institutfrancaischypre #nicosia #contemporaryart #contemporaryartist #contemporaryphotography #fiap_official #galleryart #nicosiacyprus #nicosiaevents
Hors les murs- Open air photo exhibition organised by the Paris Municipality with photos from my book “Paris que j’aime “. The exhibition is up and running for three months and it will be on until the end of February. If you happen to be in Paris go for coffee or a glass of wine and stroll at Square Saint Medard, Place George Moustaki #art #photography #blackandwhitephotography #horslesmurs #contemporaryart #contemporaryartist #contemporaryphotography #singulartofficial #singulartist #lumiereartgallery #paris #parisphotographer #parisphotography #fiap_official #outdoorphotography #outdoors #outdoorlifestyle
PARIS QUE J’AIME I am honoured and immensely grateful that the Municipality of Paris is exhibiting my photography “hors les murs” at Square Saint Medard- Place George Moustaki at the 5e arrondissement @mairiedu5 .The exhibition will be running for 3 months and you are all welcome to pass by and enjoy my work. Big thank you also to @idamedicisgalerie for the organisation and the coordination of the exhibition and the signing of my new book . Tons of love and million thanks to the Mayor @florence_berthout and Vice Mayor @gabadoucorinne for their invitation and full sponsoring of the exhibition #art #photography #blackandwhite #blacksbdwhitephotography #paris
ÉVÉNEMENT SIGNATURE

16 novembre dès 18h

Chers amis en France, je suis très heureuse de vous inviter à la signature de mon nouveau livre de photographies en N/B : PARIS QUE J'AIME à la galerie IDA Médicis. Je serais enchantée de vous retrouver autour d'un cocktail chaleureux le mercredi 16 novembre à partir de 18h au 9 , rue de Médicis, 75006 Paris.
Cette signature s'inscrit en résonance avec le mois de la photographie, manifestation qui se tient ce mois de novembre dans différents lieux de Paris. Je serais absolument ravie de votre présence lors de cette signature
Hâte de vous retrouver 

__________________________
Signature du livre PARIS QUE J'AIME
Le mercredi 16 novembre à partir de 18h
Galerie IDA MEDICIS, 9 rue de Médicis, 75006 PARIS #art #artgallery #artist #artistphotography #artistphotographer #contemporaryart #paris #parisfrance #parisphotographer #blackandwhite #christina_drakos #idamedicisgalerie #fiap_official #efiap #singulart #singulartofficial #singulartist #european_cultural_academy
PARIS QUE J’AIME - Pont de l’Alma #photography #fiap_official #art #artgallery #books #collector #curator #blackandwhitephotography #filmphotography #paris #lumiereartgallery #gallery #galleries #contemporaryart #contemporaryart #noiretblancphotographie #efiap #pontdelalma #artist #artistic #artistsatwork #artista #photographer #singulart #singulartofficial #singulartartist #european_cultural_academy #doitin_paris #artviewerexhibitions #artview
PARIS QUE J’AIME - Peintre à la Place des Vosges #photographie #art #blackandwhitephotography #noiretblancphotographie #contemporaryart #contemporary #fiap #artist #artista #gallery #artgalleries #lumiereartgallery #collector #curator #photographylovers #exhibitions #paris #placevosges #fiap_official #artviewerexhibitions #artview
PARIS QUE J’AIME - Regard d’enfant, Place du Tertre, Montmartre #photography #blackandwhitephotography #gallery #galleries #fiap #european_cultural_academy #singulartartist #singulartofficial #contemporaryart #contemporaryartist #paris #montmartre #filmphotography #filmcamera #photographer #lumiereartgallery #fiap_official #artviewerexhibitions #artviewer
PARIS QUE J’AIME - Femme en blanc, Place Colette #photography #art #artgallery #photographers #fiap #singulart #singulartartist #european_cultural_academy #paris #placecolette #cafénemoursparis #collector #blackandwhitephotography #filmphotography #parisquejaime #curator #fiap_official

Statement of the Artist

Immersing myself in different countries and continents, through my photographic journey, I have been fascinated with the varying lights, colors, skin tones and cultures to be discovered. In a world full of composed creativity; my inspiration did not only come from my favorite expressionist painters or photojournalists and photographers such as Steve McCurry and Henri Cartier-Bresson, but also from filmmakers like Alfonso Cuaron.

Beauty is a concept that we are universally drawn to, beyond our mere intrinsic attraction to it. And it is exactly this elegance and tranquillity found in the beauty of our nature that I strive to portray in my figurative paintings. I often see the human body as a landscape with forms, shapes, shades, and empty spaces to be unveiled in the moment. Taking a glance and feeling as if I need to look longer, an attraction to the eye, but also something that addresses memory. Exploring the various mediums of art, I have always been moved from a deep necessity to touch the unknown and create.

Exhibitions

Meres et enfants du monde

Mairie du 5eme,
Paris France
November 2016

Peru mi amor

Hadjiloizi Michaelidi 20
Katholiki, Limassol, Cyprus
12 May, 31 May 2016

L’ecole pour les enfants

12, rue Carnot, 84800
L’Isle sur la Sorgue
1 May, 29 May 2016

Meres et enfants du Monde

Mairie du 7eme Paris, France

October 2015

Life is a journey

Zampelas Contemporary Art Museum, Nicosia, Cyprus

November 2014

Life is a journey

6 x 6 Centre for Photography, Limassol, Cyprus

June 2014

Peru mi amor

Peruvian Consulate, Brussels, Belgium

December 2013

Peru mi amor

Flagey Cultural Center, Brussels, Belgium

October 2013

New York between the lines

Library Art Cafe Gallery, Limassol,  Cyprus

March 2013

New York between the lines

Galleria Wikiarte, Bologna, Italy

March 2012

Mother India

Mavrelis Cultural Centre, Limassol, Cyprus

May 2009

Mutation

Limassol Medieval Castle, Limassol, Cyprus

July 2007

Coffee shops around the world

Hotel Royal Crown Plaza, Brussels, Belgium

April 2006

Coffee shops around the world

Hilton Cyprus Hotel, Nicosia, Cyprus

January 2006

Coffee shops around the world

Theomaria Gallery, Limassol, Cyprus

December 2005

Costantinopolis 551 years later

Fotodos Gallery, Nicosia, Cyprus

June 2004

Photographic wanderings

Conrad Hilton Hotel, Istanbul, Turkey

May 2003

Close Ups

Vox Gallery, Athens, Greece

May 2003

Close Ups

Fotodos Gallery, Nicosia, Cyprus

November 2002

Close Ups

Morfi Gallery, Limassol, Cyprus

October 2002

Editions

Artist's Notes

The Journey

Publishing House: EN –TYPIS
Place: Nicosia
Date: 1997

A journey is a return to the starting point, to see our home once again, as if we were seeing it for the first time. This is true of a pilgrimage and of other journeys. It is in this simple way and from within my heart that this book was created. A series of pictures, post cards that were never posted. I dedicate it to all those friends who accompanied me and, in particular, to my children, Orestis and Myrsini.

Angels of Light

Publishing House: EN-TYPIS
Place: Nicosia
Date: 1999

Taking photographs of children allows me to become a child again, to be able to see the world through virgin eyes, as if for the first time. This book was made with the wish for the children of the new millennium to become Angels of Light and live in harmony with their souls. I give it as a gift to all of you who will be reading it and to all the children who kept me company during my photographic wanderings.

Close Ups

Publishing House: LIVANIS PUBLISHING ORGANIZATION
Place: Athens
Date: 2002

As all forms of art, photography creates its own reality. It transfixes the intensity of the moment with a unique immediacy, vividness and spontaneity. The journey from darkness to light is a never-ending game with our own selves for self- knowledge and self-esteem. So it is in the darkroom, by writing the light, the world is revealed before our eyes and allows us to see images and emotions to which we may have never before paid attention.

I dedicate this book to the memory of my father Michalakis K. Drakos, who gave me my first camera on my twelfth birthday, and who, in his short life, taught me to love the world, to dream and to create.

Mother India

Publishing House: Athens Voice Books
Place: Athens
Date: 2009

Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Joseph Rudyard Kipling, Genghis Khan, Christopher Columbus, Jules Verne, Queen Victoria, Vasco de Gamma…all these outstanding people in the human history had one thing in common: India!

Combining my roles as a Mother, Business woman, Artist Photographer and Citizen of the World, I was blessed to travel extensively around the globe and several times accompanied by my two children Orestis and Myrsini.

India, the land of the Maharajas, the yogis, the guru and the thousand spices and colors always attracted me and I was privileged to return a number of times and capture moments of the daily life with my camera.

From the bottom of my heart I want to thank all Indians who smiled in front of my lens and allowed me to take photos of them during my wonderings from Kerala to the Himalaya. I am thankful also to my beloved daughter Myrsini who accompanied me during my recent journey to the Himalaya and with whom we have created ‘Mother India’ for all to enjoy!
All net proceeds from the sales of our book will be donated to the Doctors Without Borders(MSF).

Paris que j’aime

Publishing House: Lumière Contemporary Art Publications
Place: Limassol
Date: 2022

Since the dawn of time, Paris has charmed and fascinated artists, painters, writers, musicians, photographers, and poets whose ardor has not waned through the centuries. This "universal city,” the city of ideas par excellence, has always been a crossroad, rich in sensory and intellectual experiences, a vast, open-air museum, and a mythical place of exploration and adventure.

"Tear my heart out, you will see Paris there," threatened Louis Aragon in Le Paysan de Paris. Since the days of my youth, I have marveled at this city in awe. Rubbing shoulders, observing, listening, walking, and breathing it in -- glimpses of memory piled up into the span of a lifetime. Time after time, I have fallen head over heels in love with its splendor and essence. As though perpetually glued to my skin, no matter where I am, Paris today is the city of my heart.

The City of Lights; is a ballet of evermoving lights and skies, aligned with its fluctuating energy. Sometimes sweet like a couple’s kiss on a bench, or bright like a snowy morning in the winter; and other times dark like the path under a bridge, or frightening like the gargoyle staring at you from the “Sacré Coeur.”

It is a black-and-white Paris that I unveil here, where light and shadow fuse to expose the city’s contrasting energy and reveal its multilayered complexity in the absence of color. This book is a humble attempt on my part to give back in gratitude for all the inspiration that this city has given me; a homage for allowing me to be a part of its streets and for holding my hand throughout the years as I ventured out to capture it.

"Paris was always worth it and you received return for whatever you brought to it," Ernest Hemingway wrote in A Moveable Feast.

This book is dedicated to all my Parisian friends, their joie de vivre, and to all eternal lovers of this magical, dreamy city.

Press

BAM Collective, 12 June, 2018
Photophiles, 16 January, 2017
Cultur’elle, 27 September, 2016
Press Kit Mères et enfants du monde, 19 July, 2016
Press Kit, 28 September, 2015
Χριστίνα Δράκος, 10 June, 2014
Politis Newspaper, 8 June, 2014
Kritik, 20 March, 2012
Undo.net, 17 March, 2012
Wall Street Magazine, 10 March, 2012
Wikiarte, 10 November, 2011
Exclusive Magazine, 1 February, 2006
Seven-Sunday Mail, 30 January, 2006

News

BAM Collective

Mairie du 5eme
21 Place du Pantheon, 75005 Paris
19 Feb – 02 March 2019

BAM Collective

Mairie du 15ème arrondissement
31 rue Péclet, PARIS 75015
Aile Lecourbe, 1er étage

BAM Collective

Mairie du 5eme
21 Place du Pantheon, 75005 Paris
04-15 June 2018

Mères et enfants du monde

Mairie du 5eme
21 Place du Pantheon, 75005 Paris
15-26 November 2016
Mairie du 5eme

L’ecole pour les enfants

Arbre aux Thes, 12, rue Carnot
84800 L’Isle sur la Sorge, France
1st May – 29 May 2016
poster-8may-2016

Meres et enfants du monde

116 rue de Grenelle
Paris, France
1-13 October 2015
poster-40x50[final]

Life is a journey

27 Arch. Makarios III ave.
Nicosia, Cyprus
8-22 November 2014
poster-life-artmuseum

Life is a journey

19 Ipeirou str.
Limassol, Cyprus
12-20 June 2014
poster-life-centerphoto

Peru Mi Amor

Flagey, Place Saint-Croix
1050 Bruxelles
6-19 october 2013
poster-peru

New York Between The Lines

Library Cafe Bar, Themidos 1
Limassol, Cyprus
1-31 March 2013
news-ny

Contact

P.O.Box 52444, 4064 Limassol, Cyprus (Europe)

Email: christina.drakos@aol.com, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cdrakos


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