Steven Sklifas is an Australian writer, photographer and storyteller whose creative life has been shaped by an enduring curiosity about history, culture, nature and the human experience.
For over two decades, he has travelled extensively throughout Australia, Europe, North and South America, and the far reaches of the Mediterranean world. With camera and notebook as constant companions, his journeys have taken him from celebrated cities and cultural landmarks to remote archaeological sites, ancient ruins, rugged landscapes, gardens, forests, and places seldom encountered by the wider travelling public.
The Mediterranean world holds an important place in Steven’s life and work. He has explored its archaeology, architecture, landscapes and cultures extensively, developing a substantial photographic record of the region and its extraordinary layers of civilisation.
Among his most significant journeys were his travels through Syria and Libya before conflict transformed many of the places he encountered. He photographed ancient cities, archaeological sites, and cultural landscapes, including places subsequently damaged, altered, or destroyed. These images now form part of a valuable visual record of cultural heritage as it existed before a period of profound change.
Ancient Greece has been a particular source of fascination throughout his life. Its history, philosophy, archaeology, mythology, and enduring stories have profoundly influenced his imagination and creative outlook. From the epics of Homer and the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides to the gods, heroes, and timeless myths woven into the landscapes he has explored, the ancient Greek world remains a constant source of curiosity and creative inspiration.
Photography and writing have always been complementary forms of expression for Steven. Photography allows him to preserve the character of a place or moment, while writing enables him to explore the stories, history, and ideas that lie beyond the image.
His travel writing has been published in Australian newspapers, while hundreds of his photographs have been licensed and published internationally in academic and history books, museum exhibitions, magazines, newspapers, travel publications, and educational resources. His work has appeared in association with museums, cultural institutions, and publishers around the world, reaching audiences across Australia, Japan, Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, and beyond.
Steven has also shared his research, knowledge, and photography through public presentations. His lecture, Photographic Odyssey of the Legacy and Glory of the Ancient Greek and Hellenistic World, brought together original photography, historical research and personal observations gathered through years of exploration, presenting the ancient world not simply as something belonging to the past, but as a cultural legacy that continues to resonate in the present.
His curiosity extends across many interconnected fields. Ancient history and archaeology sit alongside architecture, art, literature and philosophy; photography and storytelling alongside botany, ecology and biodiversity. His affinity with the natural world reaches back to childhood and to his Greek family heritage, where an appreciation of plants, gardens, and the land formed part of everyday life.
Today, Steven continues to write, photograph, research, and explore. His creative interests range from photography and essays to travel and cultural writing, environmental themes, and longer-form literary projects, including his ambition to write fiction.
Across these diverse pursuits runs a common thread: an enduring desire to explore, understand, and share the remarkable stories of the natural and human worlds.
His work represents three decades of curiosity and discovery, a continuing journey through places, ideas, cultures, and stories, and an evolving creative record of a world he has spent much of his life seeking to understand.