SHIFTING FORMS

NASOS KARABELAS

// For Greek fine art photographer Nasos Karabelas, the human form is less a subject to be captured than a threshold to be crossed. Born in Pyrgos in 1992, Nasos has developed a distinct practice that delves into how the body can be transformed—bent, blurred, and fragmented—to reveal inner landscapes. Rather than capturing physical likeness, he explores presence, vulnerability, and sensation.

A self-taught artist, Nasos has long been drawn to the expressive limits of photography. Working primarily in monochrome, he employs long exposure techniques to dissolve anatomical certainty. Faces blur, limbs echo, torsos fracture. The resulting images are not representations but evocations—charged with ambiguity and open to emotional projection.

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”

Edgar Degas

What draws you to the arts?

I am drawn to art because it allows me to connect with emotions, ideas, and perspectives beyond words. Whether I’m creating, visiting a museum, or experiencing a performance, art gives me a sense of immersion and introspection. It challenges my perceptions, evokes deep emotions, and helps me see the world in new ways. I love how art transcends boundaries, creating a universal language that speaks to the human experience.

What do you like best about this project?

What I like best about the project I am submitting is how it goes beyond traditional photography to explore the emotional and psychological depth of the human experience. I love the use of black-and-white, long exposure, and distortion to transform familiar forms into abstract expressions, creating a dreamlike and introspective atmosphere. What resonates with me most is how the work invites personal interpretation, allowing viewers to project their own emotions onto the images, making each experience unique and deeply personal.

The Deconstructed Human Figure in the Photography of Nasos Karabelas

Monochromatic photography, in the hands of a visionary, can become a vessel for emotional depth and visual ambiguity. In his latest series, Nasos blurs the line between the tangible and the ineffable through a body-focused visual language. His images shift between stark black-and-white and muted red hues, creating a haunting spectrum of introspective experience.

At the centre of this new series is the human figure in flux. Using long exposure, Nasos introduces motion into the still frame, distorting contours and dissolving edges. The result is a collection of photographs that feel suspended between dream and disintegration. Each image suggests a unique psychological state—a moment of thought, emotion, or memory rendered through abstract form.

The dreamlike quality of his work draws viewers inward, encouraging them to engage with the image not just visually, but emotionally. There’s space in every composition for personal interpretation—for seeing not just a body, but a feeling, a ghost, a state of becoming.

For Nasos, art is a form of introspection and communion. “Art allows me to connect with emotions and perspectives beyond words,” he says. Whether through visiting museums or creating alone, he views artistic engagement as a process of transformation—one that challenges perceptions and invites connection. “It gives me a sense of immersion and helps me see the world in new ways.”

This ethos is captured in his favourite quote by Edgar Degas: “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” Nasos’s photographs are not meant to be resolved at first glance. They ask for pause, for reflection—for the viewer to linger in uncertainty and find meaning in distortion.

In his shifting, fragile forms, Nasos opens a space of emotional resonance. His monochromatic palette strips away distraction, leaving behind only light, shadow, and raw emotion. It’s not about what we see—but what we begin to feel when we stop trying to see too clearly.

Click on the photos to see a larger image in original size with its title.