Rooted in the ancient Greek ideal of kállos, a concept that transcends mere physical appearance to embrace moral and spiritual excellence, this exhibition reimagines classical beauty through the lens of contemporary fine art nude photography.
Clint Scerri Harkins explores the human form not only as a vessel of aesthetic harmony but as a site of emotion, vulnerability, and philosophical inquiry. Drawing inspiration from the Ancient Greek ideal of beauty, not merely physical, but moral, spiritual, and eternal, the works on display invite viewers to contemplate the relationship between body and soul, form and essence.
Using a matte gel transfer technique, Scerri Harkins prints his photographs onto alternative surfaces, such as textured paper and canvas, adding a tactile, almost painterly presence to each image. The process inherently produces imperfections: smudges, abrasions, or areas of fading that resist control, and others with no ink at all. Rather than correcting these, the artist embraces them as part of the work’s expressive language.
The chosen locations for the shoots, often dilapidated, time-worn structures, also contribute to this dialogue of imperfection. Their weathered textures and faded histories echo the vulnerability of the human form, creating an environment where decay and beauty coexist.
Ultimately, KÁLLOS is not an exhibition about the nude, but about what it means to seek beauty, and find it, perhaps, in the unrefined spaces where form, feeling, and time converge.