Global Summer

Global Summer, conceived as a series, seeks to underline how much people resemble one another and how their needs are the same. At the same time, these very diverse images, taken in countries as disparate as the United States, India Lebanon or the countries of Europe, reveal the divergences in behaviour that are tied to place and the milieu in which people evolve. This series comprises a study in a sense of universal behaviour, of our attitude towards and our link to the beach. With this series, Yiorgos Kordakis wants to go beyond the limits of his country of origin – a land of seaside par excellence – and show our universal desire to head towards the water – the sea, lakes, rivers and swimming pools. More than a simple moment of relaxation or amusement, the artist sees our proximity to water as revealing of our inner nature. Perhaps we feel closer to our inner nature when we are near water, wearing as little as possible, as we were the day we were born. The Global Summer series was thus born of the photographer’s desire to observe how people from different parts of the world live their relationship to water.

Kordakis takes Polaroid photos using 4x5 film that are then scanned, enlarged and printed on an ink-jet printer. He has chosen the Polaroid for its surrealistic and vivid aspect, its bizarre colours and the parts that come out blurred. His photos have a real graphic dimension with their combinations of blurred areas and touches of vibrant colour. Some of them really give the impression of having come from a dream world.