Photography is the only Art, the unique tool of Art that immortalizes the moment.
Photographic click is eternal. Without beginning, without end.
There is deeper need to live intensively the moment. It is like an awakening.
Freelancer photojournalist for 30 years based in Athens, represented by
Polaris Images, NY . Since 2013, she facilitates people through
4D Dream-Photo Coaching workshops in inspiring places worldwide.
Studies:
- Classic ballet - Royal College of Dance
- Photography, Focus, Athens
- Photographic Workshop with Constantine Manos (Magnum) & Ed Kashi (National Geographic), Scopelos, Greece
- Oenology in UNIWA University of Athens & TORRES Winery in Barcelona
- A 3rd year in Therapist Training at the International institute of therapy, the experiential school for personal growth and professional development Osho Humaniversity.
- Certified 4D Dream Coach
- Non violent communicator
Portraits:
Nelson Mandela, Umberto Eko, Queen Rania of Jordan, George Michael, Archbishop of Sinai Damianos, Emperor Aki - Hito of Japan, Philip Glass, Leonidas Kavakos, Dimitris Sgouros, U2, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Marianne Faithful, Tina Turner, Patti Smith, Massive Attack, Tindersticks, Esma Retzepova, Les Arts Sauts, Cirque Eloize, Jesus Christ Superstar, Tap Dogs, Black Theater of Prague, Club Tropicana, Maurice Green, Javier Sotomayor, Antonis Samarakis, Helen Arveler, Lisa Minelli, Omar Sosa, Cesária Évora, Maryam Radjavi, Kostas Varotsos, Dimitris Mytaras.
Assignments:
China, Japan, Palestine, Bangladesh, India, Tanzania, Tunisia, Malaysia, Turkey, Estonia, Slovenia, Croatia, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Israel, Greece, Italy, U.K., France, Netherlands, Luxemburg, FYROM, Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Egypt, South Africa, Ethiopia, Bahrain, Oman, Ukraine and other countries, to communicate the human struggle for freedom, into her images and texts.
The first dawn of 2000 found Maro gazing through her lens at the Maori sacred mountain
Hikurangi in New Zealand. In 2004, she photographed above Athens flying on the Olympic zeppelin. In 2006, she had the honor to photograph and interview Ms Cesaria Evora being her guest at her home in Mindelo, Cape Verde. In 2007, she covered the life of the mentally disturbed, drug-addicts and homeless in Athens. Since 2010, she has been covering the consequences of the economic crisis in Greece. In 2011, she travelled to Tunisia to cover the
Revolution of Dignity. She has travelled in India and Bangladesh to reveal the e-waste and shipbreaking yards. Since 2015, she is covering the refugee crisis in Greece and Europe, by travelling along with groups of refugees:
Syrian refugees’ journey to Europe,
Refugee children art therapy,
interview of Maro Kouri on Huffington Post
Publications-
images and articles:
National Geographic, BBC, LFI, Journal du Dimanche, Newsweek, Vice, Huffington Post, Take Part, Dagens Nyheter, Der Spiegel, Days Japan, Nzz, Foucs, Marie Claire, Vimagazino, K, Vice, D la Republica, Colors, Art in America, i-d, La Vanguardia, CNN
Awards
- UNESCO honor, 2nd Art Mediterranean Forum, Beirut, 2003-“Women of the World”
- 1st International Prize, Competition SCOOP- “Albino Talisman” 2009
- Honor, Photo Press Union of Greece, 2010
- Best pictures, LIFE web magazine, 2011
- Gold Medal, International Competition PX3 for the “Greek crisis: Sparagmos”, 2014
- ND awards, Ηonorable mention, “The Odyssey of Refugees”, 2016
Exhibitions
Numerous participations in social, anti-racist and ecology festivals, globally.
- Barcelona 1995, 1996 - Visual Marathon
- Bic (Spain) 1996, New York 1999 - Mobile Art Museum, “Velocity”
- Thessaloniki 1997 - Cultural Capital of Europe: “Light - Motion – Life”- Personal
- Barcelona 1998 - Spring of Photography: “Racism”
- Athens 1999 - Diavasi Cultural Center: “Glances at the World”-Personal
- Johannesburg 1999- 1st Cultural Month, “Smiles of the World”-Personal
- Rhodes 2000 - 1st Mediterranean Women’s Peace Forum, “Women of the World”
- Athens 2001, National park, 5th Ecofestival
- Zagreb 2001 - “Woman’s room-woman’s view”
- Ankara 2002 - FAM, Turkish and Greek women artists
- Athens 2002- Coronet Theater “Images in the Dark” - the Prague Black Theater Personal
- Beirut 2003 - FAM Mediterranean women artists exhibit for Peace
- Izmir 2004 - FAM Turkish and Greek artists
- Athens 2004–Olympic Games “Catch the light”: large sized pictures exhibited in buildings
- Athens 2006 - “Mama Africa” festival
- Athens 2006 - EPASKT & Diavasi: “Landscapes of thought, of the world, of the universe” in conjunction with Elena Polihronatou’s paintings & astrophysicist Elena Hatzihristou’s photographs of the universe.
- Athens Hilton, Byzantine restaurant,2006 - Ethnic Photo multi projections -Personal
- Athens 2007 - Photo-projections “Traveling in the Human Joy of the Universe” Legalization of Cannabis festival
- Rhodes 2012 – “Women of the World”, French Consulate
- Paris 2012 – “Women of the World”, Gallery Mediatheque - Personal
- Perpignan 2012 – Visa Pour L’ Image – opening ceremony projection: “Sparagmos, a retrospective of Greek crisis”
- Athens 2012 – “Evros, Gate to Europe”, Photometria Festival - Personal
- Paris 2014 – “Women of the World”, Andre Maraux Cultural Center – Personal
- Athens 2015: “Odyssey of Refugees from Aegean to Berlin” –
Athens School of Fine Arts & Archaeologists’ Club
- Personal
- Barcelona 2016 - “Odyssey of Refugees from Aegean to Berlin”, Casa Cultural, Lloret de Mar - Personal
- Hellenic Parliament of Athens 2016 & Brussels 2017 – “Survival Routes”,
- Athens 2017 – “Polis-Flows-Tensions –Osmosis”, M. Cacoyannis foundation
- “Promitheus» Cacoyannis foundation, Athens, 2018
- Photo –Projection on Academy’s building and Technopolis | Athens Photo World festival, 2019
Speeches - selectively
:
Photojournalism ~
4D Dream Coaching Workshops:
Maro shares her experience of photojournalism including mindfulness techniques, dream-coach and meditation in workshops around the world.
- Tribes in Omo Valley and River’ tribes, south Ethiopia, 2019 & 2020
- “Flow”, Prespes Lakes- 2020
- “Surrender”, Mt Olympus -2020
- “Enlight”, Syros island 2021
- Tanzanian tribes and safari, 2020, 2022
- Sufi forgiveness ceremony in Oasis Siwa, Egypt, 2018
- Mani, South Peloponnese unknown villages, Easter forgiveness feast -2017, 2018, Taygetos 2022
- Little Homelands (2013-2023) – Acceptance of our Diversity -the immigrants’ lives in their neighborhoods and temples of Athens
- Dawn at the biggest Greek fish market “Ihthioskala”.
- Oman (2015, 2017, 2018, in collaboration with the Photographic Society of Oman and the Consul of Greece in the Sultanate of Oman
- Eleonas Women’s Prison, a volunteer offer
- Webinars: “Photograph my Dreams”, “Unlock during Lockdown”, “Selfcare” and “Blossom” during the lockdown of 2020-2021 due to pandemic of covid-19.
- “Photography in our sensations” – TEDx Larissa 2021
- She facilitated business’ members such as 3E-Coca Cola, Alstrom, Novo Nordisk, through Photo workshops to find their common dream with team building and team-empowerment actions and meditations
She lives in Athens with her daughters.
The Greek & English Photo book “The Ethiopian” with photographs of the workshop group in Omo Valley’s tribes is published by Metronomos Editions. Proceeds from the sales are donated to “Other People” social kitchen.
“There is an imaginary world behind our everyday reality and I am constantly looking for it. The source of my inspiration is the ability to observe the world and myself, the passion for travel, art and self-awareness. Above all what motivates me, is the unconditional love for people. Photography for me is a practice to stay in the Hear and Now, in the bliss of emptiness, an agent of growth for my soul. After all, we are all helpless against the events’ flow. I hope I photograph and mirror people’s joy, bliss, traumas, pain and loss around the planet”
Once I followed the spiritual path of self-exploring, after two decades of world –exploring with my camera, I came across myself mirroring in to my photographs.
Qualities that I liked, patterns that I dislike:
Vulnerability, hope, the power of Love and Life, authenticity underneath anger,
traumas and disconnection with myself.
They Were all there, into my photos and I’m grateful for this. 
