Those residents of densely populated cities who happen to spend some time in a village during their vacation will enjoy, not only the beauty of nature and renewed contact with traditional ways, but a serenity and revitalization that their fast-paced city environments do not offer them.
Switzerland with its green, alpine villages would certainly seem to fit the stereotype as a source for such tranquility, but for the Swiss ophthalmologist and photographer Wolfgang Bernauer, the antidote to the hustle and bustle of urban existence was found here, among the villages of Greece.
At an early age, Bernauer began exploring different aspects of photography through his father’s collection of old cameras. Over time, he also developed an interest in people who chose to live in remote areas.
In 1996, a stay of several weeks in the village of Olympos on the island of Karpathos provided the inspiration for a long-term project that has resulted in a volume of photographs called “My Greek Village,” published in 2019 by Bildperlen Publications.
“At the very beginning,” Bernauer says, “the central theme was not that clearly defined. As I had always been interested in the cultural and social life of people living in remote or rural areas, I started to record their biographies, their traditional way of life, their housing, their rituals, and crafts. That was the beginning of the project: a collection of encounters with a vanishing world.” Watch more of Wolfgang Bernauer’s work here: https://wolfgangbernauer.com/gallery/my-greek-village/
