“Caryatis” by George Tatakis wins the Eighth Edition of the Trieste Civic Museums Award
Exhibition at Sala Selva – Palazzo Gopcevich, from October 24, 2025
URBAN Photo Awards and the Tourism Promotion, Museums, Cultural and Sports Events Service of the Municipality of Trieste are renewing their collaboration for 2025 for the awarding of the Civic Museums Prize, which includes a solo exhibition in the city’s museum venues.
The winner of the eighth edition is Caryatis, a refined black-and-white series by Greek photographer George Tatakis, exploring the richness and diversity of traditional women’s costumes in Greece. The exhibition will be hosted in the Sala Selva at Palazzo Gopcevich.
The selection was curated by Claudia Colecchia, archivist executive officer and head of the Photo Library – Fototeca and the Library of the Civic Museums of Trieste – Biblioteca dei Civici Musei di Storia ed Arte del Comune di Trieste, and Michela Messina, curator of the Sartorio Museum in Trieste, who explained their choice of the winner as follows:
The contrast between the silent monumentality of these disused spaces and the rich semantic depth of traditional dress activates a layered dialogue between past and present, between ruin and ritual. In this way, Tatakis’s photography goes beyond mere documentation, presenting itself as an interpretative act: a language that recontextualizes cultural heritage and connects it to contemporary experience.
In this sense, the awarding of the Musei Civici Prize is particularly meaningful, as it acknowledges photography as a medium capable of establishing a deep dialogue with museum heritage. Through his work, Tatakis contributes not only to the preservation of memory but also to its visual and symbolic re-elaboration, affirming the role of art as a vehicle for cultural transmission.
Claudia Colecchia and Michela Messina
Project Description: Caryatis
Shot over more than a decade, Caryatis presents more than 300 portraits of women photographed across the Greek mainland and islands — from village homes in Evros to mountain paths in the north, historic interiors in Rhodes, and Aegean waterfronts. Developed in close collaboration with local communities, Tatakis approaches each portrait with ethnographic intent and visual precision: every detail — embroidery, posture, gesture, and setting — is carefully selected to reflect the cultural significance of traditional female attire.
About the artist – George Tatakis
George Tatakis is an Athens-born photographer whose award-winning black-and-white work explores the intersection of cultural heritage and urban life. Trained as an electrical engineer, he brings a precise, technical eye to his art, crafting images that reveal the enduring human stories behind Greek traditions and modern cityscapes. His major series—Caryatis, which captures traditional attire in contemporary settings, and Ethos, a documentary exploration of communal rituals—have been exhibited internationally and published in leading outlets. With 22 international awards to his name and collaborations ranging from Leica to National Geographic, Tatakis combines narrative depth with formal elegance, making his work an ideal fit for the URBAN Photo Awards’ celebration of compelling city photography.
Website: www.tatakis.com
Instagram: @tatakisg
