Photographer Vassiliki Stamou had always wondered about the lives of people who live and work in a circus. Her Arbus-esque photography project is a fascinating peek behind the scenes of a nomadic circus troupe, shedding light on the mundane, day to day activities of its performers. Through the completion of this series, Stamou hoped to demystify a lifestyle which is often viewed through the lens of surrealism and mystique: “When (circus performers) step on stage they leave their problems and identity aside. All they want is to make people believe that the magic of the circus is real.”
As Oscar Wilde put it: “A man is less himself when he speaks as himself. Give him a mask and he’ll tell you the truth.”
Vassiliki Stamou was born in 1976, in Thessaloniki, where she still lives and works.
