Alexandra Argyri is a photographer. While viewing her dedicated to soccer exhibition “Off-sight” in ArtVille in Athens I realized that she is one of these artists who manage to capture the moment. Moreover. Her lens seal pictures that not everyone can see ... The young photographer has her own unique style and especially profound eye. She is excited by man.
Alexandra is sensitive and genuine. Even when she reflects difficult social issues she does not peel and judge, she simply shows. In her own way. With warmth and understanding. “Because everyone has his own problems,” she says. Her images are romantic and slightly melancholic. She has worked on portraits of famous artists, singers and sportsmen. You will see pictures of Hristoforos Papakaliatis, Sofoklis Shortsianitis, Konstantinos Markulakis and many others in her gallery. If you want to get acquainted with the works of Alexandra visit her website: www.alexandraargyri.gr
Soccer is my passion. I go to the stadiums since I was 5-6 years old. I'm a crazy fan of Panathinaikos. I began to understand the game at the age of 10-12 and started to like soccer more. The strange thing is that nobody has created this habit. Neither my father, nor my brother. They do not deal with soccer at all. I found it myself. It took my entire mind. From Saravakos in 1987 until today.
Over the years the students at school were playing soccer, but nobody wanted to play with me because I was a girl. And I wanted very much. Then I started just to watch. I watched European matches and Greek ones. I constantly went to stadiums. The story with the soccer photos began after I’ve graduated the photography school. The “Off-sight” project took me 12 years. I told to myself that at some point I can present all these photos. I decided that I want this to be during a year of European or World Cup. And see what happened. Greece qualified for the World Cup ...
Camerawoman – this was my job at the beginning. I shot the phases, goals, etc. I sent my photos to the Associated Press because I belong to it. I saw, over time, that this is not very me.
Candid as I can be, I did not like the fight and elbowing in the locker room of the players to make the best picture. I did not have the necessary equipment either. I liked the ball and legs. So I started doing photography sections in other subjects. I made one topic - the bench. Reactions on the bench, joy, sadness, enthusiasm ... Anger, nerves. Then I made the sector theme. Mother with child, bullies, and everything that can happen on a single sector. Then I did legs. I understood that soccer is actually in the legs. All the strength and tension are there. We work and chase the ball with the brain, but the strength is in the legs and they do the entire job.
Exhibition “Off-sight” does not consist of pictures that you will see in a newspaper after a match. It shows my view on scenes of the game, which the eye of the spectator, player or coach can not capture. Empty sector and shoes of a player or left gloves... That’s why the exhibition is called Off-sight. It seems to me that most pictures are melancholic, but at the same time have the momentum. They are a bit romantic too. It is also important that none of the pictures is “adjusted”. All of them are reporting.
Rightly you can tell that the players are lonely. As the photographer is lonely at the stadium. This is the only thing that bothers me. When the team scores a goal I have no one to share my happness, because I'm alone. I forget to shoot very often. I feel more a fan and friend of the team rather than a photographer. If Panathinaikos plays with Roma I feel nervous whether we will score. Sometimes I'm ready and waiting for a picture of the net, but the team scores a goal and I start to shout. I go into raptures and forget to shoot. Soccer is my passion, not my job, that’s it.
AGRESSION
I've made pictures of aggression on the stadiums. I did not want to expose them, however. I do not think this is something people would like to see. We should be ashamed of aggression, outrage and rowdiness... People broke on the stadium because of other problems. Not because of the game. Like the outrages on Syntagma...
I can not say exactly what happens on the stadiums, however. I think it is what happens during all demonstrations. Whether it's an economic crisis or a protest because of ship strikes, for example. Everyone is looking for a way to vent his anger somewhere. And the stadium is the best place to do it. You get together every Sunday; the one sees the other, this is how the things are ... It would be better measures to be taken as were taken in England years ago. But we are in Greece and the aggression problem remains like we say that cigarettes are banned, but we still smoke.
MAN IN THE FRAME
I certainly want to shoot a man in my photos. My job as a photographer is in the fashion, advertising and portraits. I like fashion, although it is something set, but I like the portraits more because you have to discover the man who stands in front of you. Whether he is an actor, writer, artist ...
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