Second Hand Photographs I Billboards (1985-1986)

The production of Second Hand Photographs cover a period from 1985 to 1991. All photos in the series are considered as second hand, damaged or appropriated photographic material. In the first part of the series, titled “Billboards”, the photographs of advertising banners have been replaced with photos of ordinary people and everyday snapshots. Fake wear and rips are produced with technical mastery giving the impression of a realistic depiction of the streets of Athens, maintaining therefore the objective, documentary style of photography.
Antoniadis maneuvers deftly in the world of multiple photographic signification, making a convincing case for the manner of reading of a photographic image depending not only or not so much on subject or technique as on the context and conditions of presentation; it is these which play the decisive role in determining the final use.