RIDE AΘENS: A Photographic Journey by Spyros Bakalis

Through a series of 49 photographs, Spyros Bakalis’s exhibition titled “RIDE AΘENS” is presenting portraits of urban cyclists on the streets of Athens.

Bakalis’s work is a cycling “journey” through the city center and, at the same time, a dynamic photographic proposition for an anthropocentric, sustainable future.

RIDE AΘENS is a photographic research project aiming to capture the cyclists of the city of Athens.

The project attempts to respond to the simple question, “Who uses a bicycle in Athens?”—while at the same time offering an inner exploration of the urban landscape.

Using the streets of the city as its starting point, RIDE AΘENS is making an argument through its images for the redefinition of daily commute, but also of the concept of “public space.”

According to Bakalis, “The bicycle is perhaps the most libertarian means of transportation; a daily choice that is at the same time—consciously or unconsciously—a profoundly political act that focuses on respect for humans and the natural environment—and ultimately for civilization.”

“The bicycle and/or the cyclist: a moving sculpture in the city, a motivation for the cultivation of a culture, of a way of life, and, at the same time, a powerful proposition that comes from the past and poses a prime choice in the present, but also one of the most accessible solutions for a more anthropocentrically sustainable future.”

He was born and raised in Athens.

He completed his studies in Automation Engineering and pursued postgraduate studies in Science, Technology and Mathematics.

At the same time, he was engaged in Photography, with an emphasis on photojournalism and documentary photography.

Then, he proceeded to study Photography and Audiovisual Arts.

The depiction of Athens during the years of the financial crisis, and of the entry points to Greece during the refugee crisis, were his first recordings.

Since 2017, he has been working as a photographer and has collaborated with the Greek press  as well as with international news agencies.

His main photographic stimulus is the human struggle for survival, within imposed social conditions.

Highlighting emotions and thoughts, he attempts to arouse the viewer’s conscience with his photographs, inviting them to pose their own questions.