Αν θέλεις να είσαι καλός άρχοντας / στους συγγενείς σου θα κάνεις γεφύρι από ξύλο / στους ανθρώπους του τόπου σου γεφύρι από πέτρα / και στους εχθρούς σου γεφύρι από χρυσάφι.(EN)

Kostas Balafas was born in the mountain village of Kypseli-Arta in Epirus to a farming family. His photographs first came to light in 1939 in Ioannina, where he lived through the war of 1940 and took part in the National Resistance (1941-44). He photographed the armed rebellion against the occupying forces and published the images in the album “The Guerillas in Epirus”.

In 1951, he went to work for the Public Power Corporation but devoted most of his time to photography. The harsh conditions of his childhood and the people’s struggle for independence and dignity during that period had a great impact on his psyche and influenced the style of his photography. He mainly selected topics related to social problems. Over time, he walked through nearly all of Greece, rendering it in his own way through his images.

His photograph collections are available from Potamos publishers: Meteora (2002), Epirus (2003), Ta Nisia [The Islands] (2004).