German artist Stefan Guido Schmidt has been known for more than twenty years for his evocative black-and-white photography, which has been featured in numerous interviews and articles in major art magazines. However, it is difficult to define the artist through a single medium of expression. His creative talents are as multifaceted as his career: graphic artist, illustrator, art director, designer, musician, photographer, and videographer.
In 2001, he left the advertising industry. As a co-founder of the RANGAVILAS art venue in Hamburg, he managed to combine all of his creative talents. For six months, he transformed an old tobacco warehouse in Hamburg’s Speicherstadt—on the site where the Elbphilharmonie stands today—into a series of captivating artistic presentations featuring photography, installations, and video art.
In 2002, he embarked on a year-long journey around the world, creating an impressive photographic and artistic archive along the way. Upon returning to Germany, he continued to work as a photographer while also developing creative concepts for events and curating his own exhibitions.
After fifteen years in Berlin, Germany’s creative capital, Schmidt fell in love with Greece and settled in Aegina, where he lived for five years. Inspired by the island’s unique light, he returned to drawing and painting after a long hiatus, while continuing to work in photography and video art.
This year is particularly special for the artist, as he is exhibiting on his favorite island, Kythira, not once but twice. The first exhibition, hosted at the Follow Your Art gallery in Kapsali, showcases, for the first time, drawings and visual impressions created mainly on the island over the past two years, as a tribute to the unique beauty of Kythira.
The title of the exhibition, *You Burned My Tears*, expresses his deep emotional connection to and enduring love for Greece. Visitors will encounter mixed-media works and digital abstract art collages, alongside charcoal, ink, and pencil drawings. Taken together, these works reveal an artist guided by curiosity, experimentation, and a deep sensitivity toward place, memory, and emotion.
In his second exhibition, titled *The Beautiful Mind*, which will take place from July 25 to 31 at the Mercato in Chora, Kythira, the artist presents a series of previously unpublished black-and-white analog photographs taken during his travels between 2002 and 2015.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to watch his first short film, GHOSTS (14 minutes), created in 2022. It is considered one of his most poetic works and has since been screened as part of various exhibitions.
The breadth of Schmidt’s artistic output may surprise some viewers. However, for an artist who thinks and creates beyond the boundaries of media and categories, it is entirely natural for each idea to find its own, most appropriate form of expression. As a result, his body of work forms a rich and multifaceted whole, where different styles, materials, and art forms coexist.
“You Burned My Tears” by Stefan Guido Schmidt
Opening: Saturday, July 11, 2026 at 21 :00
Duration: July 11–20/07/26
German artist Stefan Guido Schmidt has been known for over twenty years for his sensual black-and-white photography, which has been featured in numerous interviews and publications in leading art magazines. Yet it is difficult to define the artist by a single medium alone. His creative talents are as diverse as his career: graphic designer, illustrator, art director, designer, musician, photographer, and video artist.
In 2001, he turned his back on the advertising industry. As co-founder of the art nightclub RANGAVILAS in Hamburg, he finally brought all of his creative disciplines together. For six months, he transformed an old tobacco warehouse in Hamburg’s Speicherstadt—now the site of the Elbphilharmonie—into a series of immersive worlds through photography, installations, and video art.
In 2002, he set out on a year-long journey around the world, creating a remarkable portfolio of photographs and artistic projects along the way. Upon returning to Germany, he continued working as a photographer while also developing creative concepts for events and planning his own exhibitions.
After spending fifteen years in Berlin, Germany’s creative capital, Schmidt fell in love with Greece and moved to the island of Aegina, near Athens, where he lived for five years. Inspired by the island’s unique light, he returned to drawing and painting after a long hiatus, while continuing his work in photography and video art.
This year is particularly special for the artist, as he is exhibiting on his beloved island of Kythera not once, but twice. The first exhibition, held at the Follow Your Art Gallery in Kapsali, showcases, for the very first time, drawings and visual impressions created largely on the island over the past two years, serving as a tribute to Kythera’s distinctive beauty.
The title You Burned My Tears reflects his profound emotional connection to, and enduring love for, Greece. Visitors will encounter mixed-media works and abstract digital collages alongside drawings created in charcoal, ink, and pencil. Together, these works reveal an artist driven by curiosity, experimentation, and a deep sensitivity to place, memory, and emotion.
For his second exhibition, *The Beautiful Mind*, running from July 25 to 31, the artist presents a series of previously unpublished black-and-white analog photographs taken during his travels between 2002 and 2015. The exhibition is being held at Mercato in Chora, Kythera.
Visitors may also have the opportunity to watch his first short film, GHOSTS (14 min), produced in 2022. Widely regarded as one of his most poetic works, the film has since been screened as part of various exhibitions.
The breadth of Schmidt’s creative output may surprise—or even bewilder—some viewers. Yet for an artist who thinks across disciplines and media, it is entirely natural that each vision should find expression through its own most appropriate language. Consequently, his body of work encompasses a rich diversity of styles, materials, and genres.
