Light-it up

Light-it up (2025) is an intimate etching from Nico Giannoulis’ series inspired by C.P. Cavafy’s private world—specifically the secrecy and sensuality of the poet’s bedroom. In these works, isolated body parts become landscapes of desire, rendered through the deep textures and tonal subtleties of the etching process.

Drawing from the visual language of BDSM—its materials, tensions, and tactile surfaces—Giannoulis contrasts strong, charged subject matter with a quiet, delicate execution. The small scale of the etching amplifies its intimacy, inviting viewers into a confined space where vulnerability, eroticism, and historical queer memory intersect.

The result is a compelling visual paradox: softness emerging from intensity, and tenderness shaped by darkness.