Greek-Australian photographer captures the colourful mosaic of Darwin

SBS Australia

2 days ago

During our recent trip in Darwin, we knew we had to pay Georgia Politis a visit; A Greek-Australian photographer whose work is entangled with the history of the city's community. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, her love of photography seems destined to blossom. From her first award during her high school years, to the day her husband gave her first camera, Georgia Politis' talent has developed into much more than just a hobby.
Opening the doors of her studio, the young photographer refers to her origins, saying that she, her sisters and her parents were born in Darwin, while her grandparents come from the Peloponnese, Kalymnos, Crete and Kos.
Darwin is a very multicultural place, especially with the Greeks. So it's about telling the stories of how we got here Georgia Politis – Photographer Growing up in Darwin, in a strong Greek community, she grew up with Greek dances, Greek events and often Greek family picnics and dinners. "My real name was Georgia Tomazos. My family came from the Peloponnese, Kos, Crete and Kalymnos. We have been here since the late 1960s and my families never left. My grandparents from both sides came to work, make a family and stayed," she said. Talking about her passion for photography and the first recognition she gained, she says that always had that bug inside her. Whether it was painting, drawing or photography. Growing up, her husband fulfilled her wish by buying her first camera. Through it, she began to take photos and portraits of her family, with no intention of doing it professionally, she says: 'My first camera was a Polaroid when I was eight years old. I did a lot of arts and crafts. So I won art awards in school, painting, drawing that sort of stuff. And then kept trying to do photography every now and then. I kept forgetting because of my studies or work. And then my husband bought me a camera in 201. I did events and family photos, and it just started by accident', she notes. Georgia Politis recently released her own photo series, 'Darwin DiverCity', which captures the stories of ordinary people living in her city. In this photo tribute, she captures the diversity of the community and the contribution of the Greek diaspora to the multicultural mosaic of the Northern Territory. The Darwin DiverCity series, as she notes, started by accident, just like her business, photographing 55 people and recording 55 different stories, while celebrating the diversity of the Northern Territory and the stories of its people. 'Darwin is a very multicultural place, especially with the Greeks. So it is about telling the stories of how we got here, why we came here 'cause a lot of people don't know. My generation, a lot of us don't know. So, it was really nice to learn about how, you know, some Greek families came here in the 1920s, or most of them between 1950 and 1960. And then learning about, what they went through, through Cyclone Tracy, what they went through for other things like, wars and coming from wars and then also about their culture," she said.
Listen the full interview in English, on the podcast that accompanies this article.