OUR GARDEN

Vasilis Perkoulidis migrated from Greece with his wife and daughter in 1968, and they’ve lived on Bloomburg street in Abottsford for the past 48 years.
A fish monger by trade, he worked as a fish monger for 70 whole years, starting at a very young age in his hometown of Verria, in Greece. A year and a half ago, when COVID-19 hit and Victoria got in its first lockdown, he was forced to stop working at his stall in the Queen Victoria Market.
“When I stopped working, I had to start doing something”.
Mr. Perkoulidis always admired his beloved sister’s, Efthimia’s beautiful garden. So, his passion switched from selling seafood to gardening. Whoever visits Bloomburg street, will instantly see Mr. Perkoulidis’ work; flowerpots and garden beds filled with colourful flowers, and different kinds of trees, from a pomegranate tree to an orange tree, gracefully decorating the small neighbourhood under the train tracks. His passion for creating this communal garden has radiated to his neighbours as well, as one of them has started planting their own plants and taking care of the neighbourhood plants along with him.

  • Stavroula Lampropoulou
    Photographer
  • Date Taken:
    April 7, 2022
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Camera:
    Fujifilm XT-3
  • Lens:
    Fujifilm - XF 50mm f/2 WR Lens
  • Focal Length:
    50mm
  • Shutter Speed:
    1/500
  • Aperture:
    2.5
  • ISO / Film:
    320
  • Student Project:
    No
Artist Biography

My name is Stavroula, and I am a young photographer who migrated from Greece to Australia in 2014, at the age of 13. Taking photos, especially photos of people, has been something I enjoyed since a young age, when my parents bought me a small Sony camera for Christmas when I was 10 or 11. It never left my hand since, as I would bring it along with me at all my friends’ birthday parties, where I’d capture candid photos of all my friends.

I commenced my studies at RMIT in 2020, undertaking a Bachelor of Arts (Photography), and I enjoy working on projects that showcase the concept of multiculturalism, specifically my Greek heritage. I frequently collaborate with the Greek newspaper ‘Neos Kosmos’, photographing different events of the Greek community in Melbourne.

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Artist Statement

I never stray far from capturing people and events within my cultural community. Having been born and raised in Greece, there is something so fascinating to me about Hellenism in Melbourne and how migrants as well as 2nd, 3rd and even 4th generation Greeks participate and find their place in the community. My paternal grandparents are 1st generation Greeks. Ever since I was little, I remember my pappou (grandfather), would always tell me stories about his life here; the good and the bad. The hardships they faced, the racism, the people he met, the fun, the way they slowly but steadily established themselves in Melbourne’s society. This is one of the main reasons why my work revolves so heavily around 1st generation Greeks and their stories. They paved the way for generations and generations to come, making it easier for people like me to have a smoother migration process. The one thing that truly fascinates me, however, with first generation Greeks like my pappou and Mr. Perkoulidis is that, despite the obstacles, despite every odd being against them, they prevailed, and more importantly, well into their old age, their lust for life and their innate need to make the world a brighter place doesn’t cease to exist and flow into everything they do.