BIOGRAPHY
Yiorgos Michael is a visual artist and poet whose work explores themes of identity, aging, belonging, and the fragile architecture of presence. Working at the intersection of post-documentary and conceptual photography, he constructs emotionally charged image sequences that blur the boundary between metaphor and memory. His photographic practice combines portraiture, performance, and spatial symbolism. Often, he stages quiet, resonant moments within transient or intimate environments—hotel rooms, thresholds, and unremarkable corners where solitude becomes theatrical. His visual language draws on the atmospheric subtlety of Pictorialism, the experimental abstraction of László Moholy-Nagy, the introspective emotionality of Francesca Woodman and Duane Michals, and the oblique psychological framing of Sergio Larraín.
In parallel with his visual work, Yiorgos writes bilingual poetry in Greek and English, echoing the same emotional, philosophical, and spatial concerns found in his photographs. Across both mediums, he investigates the unseen: absence, fragmentation, ritual, and the tension between disappearance and visibility.
Alongside his creative work, Yiorgos holds a doctorate and teaches finance. His research lies in behavioral finance and the psychology of investors. He brings his analytical skills, critical thinking, and research sensibility to his art, approaching the creative process as an inquiry into emotional systems and hidden structures of perception.
Yiorgos currently lives and works between Cyprus and the United States.
Awards and Recognitions
2025
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Black and White Spider Awards – 3rd Place – Honor of Distinction in Fine Art for "a body"
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Black and White Spider Awards – Honorable Mentions in Fine Art | "a beach" and "a wall"
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European Photography Awards – Gold Winner – Someplace / Not Here / Still There, But Not
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Annual Photography Awards (APA) – Honorable Mention – words, they stick
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Praxis Photo Arts Center – Honorable Mentions – Motion Blur Group Exhibition and In Between Moments Group Exhibition
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One Exposure Awards – Honorable Mention (Fine Art) and Nominee (Conceptual) – Someplace / Not Here / Still There, But Not
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ND Awards – Honorable Mentions – words, they stick and Someplace / Not Here / Still There, But Not
2024
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London International Creative Competition (LICC) – Official Selection – to catch a storm, gray wall, and F3S (Someplace / Not Here / Still There, But Not)
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International Photography Awards (IPA) – Official Selection – One Shot: Searching for Peace – more peace
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European Photography Awards – Platinum & Gold Winner – to catch a storm
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ND Awards – Honorable Mention – to catch a storm
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Black & White Spider Awards – Honorable Mention – to catch a storm
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Monochrome Awards – Honorable Mentions – to catch a storm and gray wall
2023
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ND Awards – Honorable Mention – burnt
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London International Creative Competition (LICC) – Finalist – never a sound of building
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International Photography Awards (IPA) – Official Selection – never a sound of building
2022
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ND Awards – Honorable Mention – a gray wall
Exhibitions (selected group shows)
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Praxis Photo Arts Center, “In Between Moments” and “Motion Blur,” Minneapolis, 2025
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Art Number 23, Design Festa Gallery, Tokyo, 2024
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BBA Gallery, Berlin, 2024
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D31 Gallery, UK (“Nostalgia”), 2022 x
Workshops and Masterclasses
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Magnum x PICTO Professional Practice series: Research, develop and publish stories that matter to you, Gregory Halpern (@gregoryhalpern), Pauline Vermare, Laura Roumanos, and Brendan Embser, New York City, November 21–23, 2025.
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Rome, Steve McCurry (@stevemccurryofficial) and Eolo Perfido (@eoloperfido), Rome, June 16–22, 2025
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Breaking Habits to Push your Practice, Carolyn Drake (@drakeycake), New York City, February 10–14, 2025
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Photographing from the Inside, Carolyn Drake (@drakeycake) and Sabiha Çimen (@sabakhayr), Lisbon, July 8–12, 2024
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Introduction to Studio Photography, and “Introduction to Portrait and Fashion Photography,” Sanjyot Telang (@sanjyot_telang), Spéos, International Photography School, Paris, June 19–23, and June 26–30, 2023
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Deepen Your Photographic Approach, Matt Black (@mattblack_blackmatt), New York City, October 9–13, 2023
Features and Media Mentions
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Entry for the LensCulture Art Photography Awards 2026 featured at the Competition Gallery, December 2026
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When a Hotel Room Becomes a Poem by MUSEdotWORLD, September 5, 2025
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Art as Echo In the Architecture of Absence, AATONAU, August 16, 2025
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Entry for the LensCultutre Critics’ Choice 2025 award featured at the Competition Gallery, June 2025
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A Tale Through Visuals | to catch a storm by MUSEdotWORLD, April 11, 2025
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Spider Awards, Winners Book, 2025, image from “to catch a storm”
Contact Information: ymkollective@gmail.com
