Maro Kouri (Janani)

Portraits:

Nelson Mandela, Umberto Eko, Queen Rania of Jordan, George Michael, Archbishop of Sinai Damianos, Emperor Aki – Hito of Japan, Philip Glass, Leonidas Kavakos, Dimitris Sgouros, U2, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Marianne Faithful, Tina Turner, Patti Smith, Massive Attack, Tindersticks, Esma Retzepova, Les Arts Sauts, Cirque Eloize, Jesus Christ Superstar, Tap Dogs, Black Theater of Prague, Club Tropicana, Maurice Green, Javier Sotomayor, Antonis Samarakis, Helen Arveler, Lisa Minelli, Omar Sosa, Cesária Évora, Maryam Radjavi, Kostas Varotsos, Dimitris Mytaras.

Assignments:

China, Japan, Palestine, Bangladesh, India, Tanzania, Tunisia, Malaysia, Turkey, Estonia, Slovenia, Croatia, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Israel, Greece, Italy, U.K., France, Netherlands, Luxemburg, FYROM, Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Egypt, South Africa, Ethiopia, Bahrain, Oman and other countries, to communicate the human struggle for freedom to her images and texts.

The first dawn of 2000 found Maro gazing through her lens at the Maori sacred mountain Hikurangi in New Zealand. In 2004, she photographed above Athens flying on the Olympic zeppelin. In 2006, she had the honor to photograph and interview Ms Cesaria Evora being her guest at her home in Mindelo, Cape Verde. In 2007, she covered the life of the mentally disturbed, drug-addicts and homeless in Athens. Since 2010, she has been covering the consequences of the economic crisis in Greece. In 2011, she travelled to Tunisia to cover the Revolution of Dignity. She has travelled in India and Bangladesh to reveal the e-waste and shipbreaking yards. Since 2015, she is covering the refugee crisis in Greece and Europe, by travelling along with groups of refugees: Syrian refugees’ journey to Europe, Refugee children art therapy, interview of Maro Kouri on Huffington Post

Publications- images and articles:

National Geographic, BBC, LFI, Journal du Dimanche, Newsweek, Vice, Huffington Post, Take Part, Dagens Nyheter, Der Spiegel, Days Japan, Nzz, Foucs, Marie Claire, Vimagazino, K, Vice, D la Republica, Colors, Art in America, i-d, La Vanguardia, CNN

Awards:

• UNESCO honor, 2^nd Art Mediterranean Forum, Beirut, 2003
• 1^st International Prize, Competition SCOOP, “Albino Talisman” 2009
• Honor, Photo Press Union of Greece, 2010
• Best pictures, LIFE web magazine, 2011
• Gold Medal, International Competition PX3, “Greek crisis: Sparagmos”, 2014
• ND awards, Ηonorable mention, “The Odyssey of Refugees”, 2016

Exhibitions:

Numerous participations in social, anti-racist and ecology festivals, globally.

• Barcelona 1995, 1996 – Visual Marathon
• Bic (Spain) 1996, New York 1999 – Mobile Art Museum, “Velocity”
• Thessaloniki 1997 – Cultural Capital of Europe: “Light – Motion – Life”- Personal
• Barcelona 1998 – Spring of Photography: “Racism”
• Athens 1999 – Diavasi Cultural Center: “Glances at the World”-Personal
• Johannesburg 1999- 1st Cultural Month, “Smiles of the World”-Personal
• Rhodes 2000 – 1st Mediterranean Women’s Peace Forum, “Women of the World”
• Athens 2001, National park, 5^th Ecofestival
• Zagreb 2001 – “Woman’s room-woman’s view”
• Ankara 2002 – FAM, Turkish and Greek women artists
• Athens 2002- Coronet Theater “Images in the Dark” – the Prague Black Theater Personal
• Beirut 2003 – FAM Mediterranean women artists exhibit for Peace
• Izmir 2004 – FAM Turkish and Greek artists
• Athens 2004–Olympic Games “Catch the light”: large sized pictures exhibited in buildings
• Athens 2006 – “Mama Africa” festival
• Athens 2006 – EPASKT & Diavasi: “Landscapes of thought, of the world, of the universe” in conjunction with Elena Polihronatou’s paintings & astrophysicist Elena Hatzihristou’s photographs of the universe.
• Athens Hilton, Byzantine restaurant,2006 – Ethnic Photo multi projections –Personal
• Athens 2007 – Photo-projections “Traveling in the Human Joy of the Universe” Legalization of Cannabis festival
• Rhodes 2012 – “Women of the World”, French Consulate
• Paris 2012 – “Women of the World”, Gallery Mediatheque –  Personal
• Perpignan 2012 – Visa Pour L’ Image – opening ceremony projection:“Sparagmos, a retrospective of Greek crisis”
• Athens 2012 – “Evros, Gate to Europe”, Photometria Festival – Personal
• Paris 2014 – “Women of the World”, Andre Maraux Cultural Center – Personal
• Athens 2015–“Odyssey of Refugees from Aegean to Berlin”, Athens School of Fine Arts – Personal
• Barcelona 2016 – “Odyssey of Refugees from Aegean to Berlin”, Casa Cultural, Lloret de Mar -Personal
• Hellenic Parliament of Athens 2016 & Brussels 2017 – “Survival Routes”,
• Athens 2017 – “Polis-Flows-Tensions –Osmosis”, M. Cacoyannis foundation

Selections of her Speeches:

• Cosmote History channel:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ElDteqdaZs
• 29th Business Leadership Leadership Conference
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=161&v=crN8pPkoGmo
• Syros 2016 – Main Speaker at TEDx University of Aegean, Apollo Theater

Photojournalism ~ Photo 4D Dream Coach Workshops:

Maro shares her experience of photojournalism including mindfulness techniques, dream-coach and meditation in workshops around the world.

• Tribes in Omo Valley and River’ tribes, south Ethiopia, 2019 & 2020
• “Flow” in north Greek lake Prespes, “Surrender” in Mount Olympus 2020, “FotiZo”, Syros island
•                                                                                                                                                          2021
• Tanzania tribes and wild-life, 2020
• Sufi forgiveness ceremony in Oasis Siwa, Egypt, 2018
• Mani, South Peloponnese’s unknown villages, stark landscapes, Easter forgiveness feast -2017, 2018
• Little Homelands (2013-2020): the immigrants’ lives in their neighborhoods and temples.
• Dawn at the biggest Greek Fish Market.
• Oman (2015, 2017, 2018)- with the Photographic Society of Oman.
• Elaionas Women’s Prison– volunteer work
• Webinars: “Photograph my Dreams”, “Unlock during Lockdown”, “Selfcare” and “Blossom” during the lockdown of 2020-2021 due to pandemic of covid-19.
• Being present and Photograph through our sensations – TEDx Larissa 2021

Maro has just published the Greek and English photo book “The Ethiopian” with photographs of her workshop group in Omo Valley’s tribes.

She facilitated HR members such as 3E-Coca Cola, Alstrom, Novo Nordisk, through Photo workshops to find their common dream, team building and team-empowerment.

She lives in Athens with her daughters.

“There is an imaginary world behind our everyday reality and I am constantly looking for it. The source of my inspiration is the ability to observe the world and myself, the passion for travel, art and self-awareness. Above all what motivates me, is the unconditional love for people. Photography for me is a practice to stay in the Hear and Now, in the bliss of emptiness, an agent of growth for my soul. After all, we are all helpless against the events’ flow. I hope I can photograph and mirror people’s joy, sorrow, loneliness, pain and hunger around the planet”                                             Maro Kouri

Information & Contact:

Address: 36, Vosporou street
104 – 44 Athens, GR
Tel: +30 210 5126290
Mobile: + 30 6977 29 58 31
E-mail: maro_kouri@yahoo.com
Website: www.marokouri.com