words by DEBORAH DRENOFCI
Few directors make discomfort look as good as Yorgos Lanthimos. From February 12 until June 6, Foam Amsterdam presents Yorgos Lanthimos: Photographs, curated by Michael Mack. The six-time Academy Award-nominated director has spent years taking pictures on his film sets and on the edges of Athens. Lanthimos’ work turns absurdism into a colourful territory, handles unease with visual distortions, and discusses important themes through a precise, darkly comic eye. An exciting exhibition where we all get to experience and delve deeper into Lanthimos’ world—the one captured through a more personal lens.
Untitled 77, 2021. Courtesy of YORGOS LANTHIMOS
Lanthimos was born in Athens, Greece, where he began his career directing dance theatre films, as well as TV commercials, music videos, short films, and theatre plays. His picturesque visual storytelling is what has earned Lanthimos such recognition and such a devoted following. Beyond directing films, he channels his artistry into photography, a discipline he has embraced throughout the years.
The Foam exhibition will display four series made over six years. Each body of work offers a different perspective on Lanthimos’ world. Three photographic series showcase his cinema work, encapsulating the setting, tone, costumes, and characters of his films. These include Dear God, the Parthenon is still broken (2024), from Poor Things (2023); i shall sing these songs beautifully (2024), from Kinds of Kindness (2024); and VISCIN (2026), from Bugonia (2025).
The fourth body of work is more personal, including photographs capturing his home, Greece. The series, called no word for blue, holds solitary moments lensed on the edges of Athens and quiet meditations captured on Greek islands. Michael Mack said his black-and-white works reflect “an era of self-reflection and of his advanced progress in developing his own language in photography.” Without doubt an exhibition worth seeing. We cannot wait for February.
Yorgos Lanthimos, 2024. Courtesy of YORGOS LANTHIMOS
Yorgos Lanthimos, Untitled 100i, 2021. Courtesy of YORGOS LANTHIMOS
