"Fish Eye" Exhibition

The “Eye of the Fish” exhibition brings together 25 images taken over the photographer’s 25-year career, who has traveled the world capturing images of surfers, waves and championships. Among the highlights are images of athletes such as Gabriel Medina, Brazilian Tatiana Weston-Webb, and a historical record of champions Kelly Slater and Andy Irons.

“It is very interesting for MAB FAAP to enter this younger universe, both because of the theme and because it uses current technology – Aleko photographs with his cell phone –, attracting new audiences and making art more accessible, including for our own students. This Aleko exhibition seemed to us to be the ideal exhibition to dialogue both with a generation that is approaching the world of culture, and with those who are more knowledgeable and appreciate art. We see incredible potential in this exhibition, which features impactful photographs that will certainly attract all audiences”, says Fernanda Celidonio, administrative director of MAB FAAP.

The exhibition began to be designed five years ago. From the beginning, surfer, journalist and curator Fernando Costa Netto was in Stergiou's plans to sign the curatorship. He was the one who opened the doors to the world of professional photography for Stergiou and allowed him to look beyond surfing. “The exhibition tells my story of dedication to the sea, of an eternal bond with nature and speaks of my unconditional love for photography and art”, summarizes Aleko Stergiou.

Having started photographing surfing in the 1990s, Aleko has traveled to several countries such as Hawaii, Tahiti, Indonesia, Spain, Greece, among many others. One of the highlights of the exhibition, mentioned above, is the image considered “iconic” by the photographer himself, of the record of champions and rivals Slater, who has just announced his retirement at the age of 52, and Andy Irons, who died in 2010 with three world titles, in a tube. The image was taken with an analog camera. Stergiou credits the analogue era with his ability to get the decisive photo: a roll of 36 poses taught him to save clicks and wait for the right moment. “That’s what shaped my selective clicking today.”

From analog to cell phone

The arrival of digital required a new leap, and from a roll of 36 images taken in one day, he now has 1.000 – and the quantity also made him an editor. Today, he uses the iPhone. “The camera is with me 24 hours a day. This sharpens my eyes and allows me to capture a scene at any moment.” Stergiou is the first Brazilian professional to photograph surfing, its surroundings and its culture, with a cell phone camera. “The result is surprising. As curator, selecting the material for this exhibition – a privileged journey into my memory as an old surfer – I often found myself with the enchanted eyes of a child”, says Costa Netto.

Recognized worldwide, Stergiou took his first shots at Maresias. “There I learned to love tube riding, my favorite maneuver, and I learned to photograph,” he remembers. With tubular, heavy, consistent waves, as defined by the photographer, Maresias was not only the great school, but represents the realization of a childhood dream. “I cut out images from magazines and pasted them on the covers of my school notebook.” The São Paulo beach, which prepared him for the waves of Fernando de Noronha and Saquarema, continues to be a great training center. “Even today, with the roughest seas, I get beaten.” But Tahiti is where his heart surfs best, where he has been 26 times – compared to two visits to Hawaii. “Polynesia is the most plastic, photogenic place, an open-air studio,” he says. This does not mean that the most perfect waves will necessarily come from there. “If I'm well positioned, it could be 2 feet or 20 feet of wave, what counts is involvement with the sea, the ocean is the boss”, says the photographer.

Service
Exhibition | Fisheye
From the 13th of August to the 06th of October
Tuesday to Sunday from 09am to 20pm, last entry at 19:30pm