Bio
Nicki Panou is a self-taught photographer and digital artist, based in Thessaloniki, Greece. She studied applied informatics with a master’s degree in graphic arts and multimedia, as well as acting in the theater workshop “Parathlasi”. She has been active in photography since 2013. Since then, she has taken part in various exhibitions in Greece and abroad, such as the Kythera Photographic Encounters, the International Photography Festival Photometria, Contrast Photography Festival of Thessaloniki, CONTACT festival etc. Her work has been distinguished internationally, most recently with the 3rd place in the Self Portrait category of the Prix de la Photographie Paris 2021. Her work has been featured in print and digitally in Greek and foreign publications such as Fotografos magazine, Parallaxi, Athens Voice, F-Stop, Petapixel and others.
Statement
Photography is my way of communicating thoughts, feelings and concepts that are impossible to express in a different way. I aim to create pictures that take the viewer to an imaginary world, a different kind of reality. Behind each image, there is a whole process, from the forming of the idea until its realization.
Inspiration can come from anywhere: a song, a story, a conversation I heard on the street, an everyday scene or anything that may arouse my interest. Just a single word can lead to a whole story, which I then impress onto an image.
The photoshoot takes place after I have decided on all the details: location, wardrobe, props, pose, camera angle and anything else I have to know beforehand, so that I can impress the image exactly as I have imagined it. Most of the times I use myself as a model, thus making myself part of the story.
After the photoshoot, comes the post processing that leads to the final image. All the photographs that I use for my compositions are my own and I edit them according to the desired result. I usually choose a square canvas, since I find the harmony of this shape to be fitting with the aesthetic of my images.
Looking at the final image, the viewer can wonder about the meaning that might hide behind it, or just feel the emotions that it provokes.
Exhibitions
Mythography vol. 3: Diana, Minerva and Ceres, Trieste Photo Days festival, Trieste, Italy, 27/10-26/11/2023
Broken Realities, CONTACT Photography Festival, Toronto, Canada, 1-31/5/2020
2084, Contrast Photography Festival of Thessaloniki, 1/12/2019-12/1/2020
What lies beneath, CONTACT Photography Festival, Toronto, Canada, 1-31/5/2019
The old han, a live space. Bensousan Han, Thessaloniki. 14/12/2018
Self-Portraits, E.S.P Gallery, 10/11-20/12/2017
Cheapart, 81st International Fair of Thessaloniki, 10-18/9/2016
Parallel Voices 2015, Photometria Festival, Ioannina, 31/5-14/6/2015
Influence Festival, Karditsa, 09-10/5/2015
Meet the artist 5 – Spingtime, Myro Gallery, Thessaloniki, 26-28/3/2015
“A different kind of reality”, Young Greek Photographers exhibition – 13th Kythera Photographic Encounters, Kythera, 25-28/9/2014
“Foundation”, 6th Anakata Festival, Thessaloniki, 12-14/9/2014
Chocofactory & Museum, Thessaloniki, 6/9/2014-6/3/2015
Awards
Category Winner, 24th Julia Margaret Cameron Awards 2024, Self Portrait Non Pro
Nominee, reFocus World Photo Annual 2023
Honorable mention, Budapest International Foto Awards 2021
Bronze, Prix de la Photographie Paris 2021
Nominee, Fine Art Photography Awards 2021
Honorable mention, ND Awards 2020
Honorable mention, International Photo Awards 2020
Honorable mention, Prix de la Photographie Paris 2020
Nominee, Fine Art Photoraphy Awards 2020
1st place, “The old han, a live space” contest, Photography Center of Thessaloniki/Bensousan Han/Lavart, 2018
2nd place, IEK ESP contest, 2017
Selection at the Portfolio contest, Photometria Festival, Ioannina, 2015
Special Selection, Contest about chocolate, Center of Photography-Thessaloniki, 2014
Honourable mention, 46th Coloured Digital Photography contest, Hellenic Photographic Society, 2014
Features & Publications
Affinity Spotlight [en], 11/8/2023
Mythography Vol. III (book), Exhibit Around, 2023
Il corpo solitario. L’autoscatto nella fotografia contemporanea volume III , Giorgio Bonomi (book), Edizioni Rubbettino, 2022
Fotografos magazine (print), issue no. 29 “Editing in Photoshop and Lightroom”, October 2022
Shut Your Aperture [en], 2/1/2020
PetaPixel [en], 7/12/2019
Photonews Through The Lens [gr], 7/12/2019
DIY Photography [en], 21/11/2019
GREC1AN (print), 4/2019
F-Stop: Issue —Altered Image, 1/6/2018
ShutYourAperture [en], 29/4/2018
Phototrend [fr], 23/4/2018
Neos Kosmos (print and web-[en]), 15/4/2018
BiscottoGR [el], 3/4/2018
Athens Voice [el], 3/4/2018
Parallaxi [el], 19/3/2018
Photofocus, 13/3/2018
Fotografos magazine (print), issue no.14 “Photoshop & Lightroom), September 2017
“Voyage to Kythera: A photographic encounter of a different kind”, The Kytherian, 01/2016
Fotografos magazine (print), issue no.8 “Photo editing”, October 2015
Wip, issue 16, pp. 50-51, 7/11/2014
Weekend Inspiration CXIV – Phlearn, 13/9/2014
Get Inspired Magazine, 23/8/2014
My Portrait Hub, 18/7/2014
Fotografos magazine (print), issue July-August 2014
50 Creative Self-Portrait Ideas to Trump All Selfies – 500px ISO, 22/5/2014
Weekend Inspiration XCIV – Phlearn, 25/4/2014
Photofocus, 25/2/2014