Paul Raphael’s "Ios: In the Light of the Gods" - A Photographic Tribute to the Magic of Ios Island

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Updated: 21 hours ago

Paul Raphael, award-winning British film-maker turned photographer, is the first artist ever invited to present a solo exhibition at the Gaïtis–Simossi Museum on the Cycladic island of Ios.

Paul Raphael’s "Ios: In the Light of the Gods" — In The Light Of The Gods ©Paul Raphael,2026

The exhibition will showcase 30 photographs that vividly capture the unique and captivating Greek light as it illuminates the landscapes, seascapes, and rock formations of Ios. Having known the island intimately throughout his life and now residing there permanently, Raphael brings a deeply personal perspective to this collection.

Spanning the dazzling sunshine of summer to the lesser-documented wildness of winter, the works will be displayed in light boxes - the large-scale images dramatically lit from within to recreate the radiant light of the Mediterranean.

The exhibition will be Raphael’s first as a photographer after a career producing films including Pascali’s Island, Rogue Trader, and the award-winning Under the Bombs, working with actors including Sir Ben Kingsley and Ewan McGregor.

It is taking place at the invitation of architect Loretta Gaïtis, who spent many years designing and creating the museum. It is dedicated to the work of her parents, the painter Yannis Gaïtis and the sculptress Gabriella Simossi, who made Ios their own artistic sanctuary around the same time as the Raphaels.

Loretta Gaïtis said: “When the museum opened its doors in September 2024, it seemed obvious - both to the island’s mayor, Gkikas Gkikas, and to myself - that the first temporary exhibition hosted by the museum should be a tribute to Ios. Paul’s photographs emerged as a natural and self-evident choice.”

Paul Raphael’s "Ios: In the Light of the Gods" - A Photographic Tribute to the Magic of Ios Island — ©Paul Raphael,2026

Paul Raphael’s connection to Ios began in 1962. His father, Frederic Raphael - novelist, Oscar-winning writer of films including Darling and Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut, and translator of ancient Greek myths - bought a traditional little white house, on the island where Homer was buried. It was a time before cars, electricity, hippies or modern tourism.

Visiting every year, Paul’s father would tell his children, made up stories about “the little god”, a local god dedicated only to Ios and its daily issues. The "little god" interacted with the “big gods’ on Mount Olympus on a regular basis, but only in so far as it related to Ios. This ancient world, where sunsets were the work of Apollo and huge waves the fury of Poseidon, had a profound influence on Paul’s imagination in a landscape little changed since Homer's time.

Now 68, he said: “I was lucky enough to live in many countries when I was young, but it was Greece, with its ancient myths and dramatic landscapes, that truely captivated my heart. Since making my life here, I have walked thousands of kilometres with my camera. I am delighted that some of the pictures will now be displayed in such a unique and wonderful space. The exhibition's title, Ios: In The Light of the Gods, is a tribute to those magical influences of my childhood.”

The decision to display the works in lightboxes, custom-made by Multiplo in Athens, was inspired by his life in cinema and the magic of the Cycladic light, he added. “I wanted to find a way for the sun to shine through the images, allowing me to illuminate them from within.”

Curator Jean Blanchaert said: “Ios: In the Light of The Gods is an homage to Raphael’s formative influences and to an island lived as mythological cosmos. Its sea — the Aegean — is the theatre of history. A striking quality of Paul's photographs is the beauty that envelops them like a precious, impenetrable shell. Each image is an act of devotion to Ios. His bond with nature is profound and essential.”

Gkikas Gkikas, Mayor of Ios, added: “This exhibition represents a major cultural event for the island, with the timeless beauty of Ios explored in our acclaimed museum by an international artist in contemporary photography.”