Patrída

Much like the German word Vaterland, the Greek word Patrída derives from the word for father. Since childhood, I have traveled to Greece almost every year. When I mention my name there, people often tell me: “Your father was Greek? Then you are Greek too.” But can identity really be defined that easily?

Patrída is a photographic exploration and questions this certainty through photography. It is a personal exploration of the fleeting concept of home. What truly shapes our sense of belonging? Does it stem from the colors and shapes of childhood, from landscapes and light, or from memories of the father? Does it extend far beyond the idea of a nation, territory, national borders – and is it instead an inner state of mind? This series searches for visual answers within the spaces of my own biography.