Christos Tolera: Homecoming

Making a special trip East for Christos Tolera new exhibition, partly to see the show, and partly to see the faces that would turn up to see the show!

We were not disapointed with the amount of faces attending, with a great crowd of stylie icons. Sailor Jerry and ginger beer for drinks aroused the atmosphere, and a beautiful body of photographic still life work.

Christos had this to say about the exhibition. 
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I moved away from Dalston over thirty-five years ago. The Hackney I left behind was a very different one to which I returned. I currently live in an area that was pretty much a no-go zone for teenagers who didn’t live there, especially for the more flamboyant like myself.
On my homecoming not only did I notice Hackney’s previously neglected architecture, but also a sense of pride in its presentation and on my journeys home throughout last year I started to document my discoveries of unexpected jewels in the night streets. I concentrated mostly on roses, which feature in my work as symbols of life, love and loss. I collected them like I was collecting companions. Over time, as I amassed many images, with encouragement, I decided to share this unexpected journey of recovery for Hackney and for myself. 
The image of Hackney by night had been transformed in my mind from an imaginary urban despair to a tangible sense of hope and beauty in the face of adversity. It’s a story not just of Hackney, but also of London, and of coming home.

Location
5D Stoke Newington Road
London, United Kingdom 

Christos Tolera