“Caryatis”: ten years of George Tatakis’ photography become a book
George Tatakis’ Caryatis is published on 19 November by Oxy: 233 black-and-white photographs, ten years of work and more than 100 places across Greece.
By Dimitris (Bari) Polyzois
In Caryatis, traditional women's dress from different regions of Greece becomes the starting point for a contemporary photographic study. George Tatakis photographs women in the places the costumes come from, making staged portraits in which the human presence, the dress and the setting form a single composition.
The work goes beyond conventional folkloric documentation. The photographs are not simply a presentation of costume but autonomous images with narratives of their own. Through natural light, geometry and a strict organisation of the frame, Tatakis shapes a distinctive black-and-white language.
The result of ten years of photographic work across more than 100 locations in Greece, Caryatis gathers 233 black-and-white photographs. The edition is accompanied by texts from Giorgis Magginis (scientific director of the Benaki Museum), Evgenia Karelia and Alexandra Rapti.
The photographer
George Tatakis is a Greek photographer based in Athens, known for black-and-white work centred on Greek culture. His photographs have appeared in The New York Times, National Geographic and Leica Fotografie International, and his work is held in the permanent collection of the Benaki Museum. Caryatis has won 24 international photography awards.
Details
- Published: 19 November 2026, Oxy editions
- 256 pages, 233 black-and-white photographs, hardcover, 23 × 30 cm
- Language: English · ISBN 9786182363928
