Penelope Thomaidi

Bio

Penelope Thomaidi is a photographer based in Athens, Greece. While she often visits Paris, she would travel anywhere that her curiosity or an assignment would take her. She pursues long-term documentary projects and responds to assignments.

Interested in the relation between people and their territory, her personal work explores environmental and social issues, often focusing on stories with a special relation to memory, self-determination and resistance. 

Graduate of Creative Documentary and Photojournalism programme coordinated by Spéos International School of Photography and Magnum Photos in Paris, she has a background in fine arts (MA Art Production & Research, Universitat de Barcelona) and graphic design. During 2011-2014 she was dedicated in the academic research of the intersections between art and activism.

Her work has been shown in international photography festivals such as Helsinki Photo Festival, FIF Belo Horizonte, Athens Photo Festival, Thessaloniki Photobiennale, Voies Off. Her project Under Pressure has received the support of iMEdD and a special mention at Urbanautica Awards 2020, while her A Zone to Defend series received the 1st prize at the Spéos Awards and was a finalist at La Bourse du Talent 2018.

Amongst others, she has collaborated with media such as GEO France, Marie Claire, La Tribune de Genève, Mediapart and Greece Is.  

Along with her photography practice, she often intervenes in educational programmes as an invited lecturer. In 2023, Penelope was a lecturer at the BA (Hons) Degree in Photography programme of AKTO School of Arts & Design certified by Middlesex University London. She has also been involved in editorial and curatorial projects such as The Provinces, The Telos Society and Balkans Today. She is a member of the french network of photographers Hans Lucas since 2018 and a co-founder of What If Design Studio since 2013.

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