Yiannis Koukourakis was born and raised in Athens, Greece. He studied at the department of Photography of the Technological Institute of Athens (TEI) and followed a post-graduate program on Fine Art Photography in England, sponsored by the Hellenic Republic State Scholarships Foundation (IKY).
He has been working as a professional photographer since 1994, in the field of commercial photography, advertising and social events, in collaboration with advertising companies and publishing houses, as well as with web designers. From 2001 to 2005, he taught Photographic Applications as a Laboratorial Collaborator at the School of Photography of the Technological Institute (TEI) of Athens.
Whilst working on his professional activities he also pursues his Fine Art Photography projects. Since the ‘80s, he has taken part in various exhibitions and art festivals in Greece and abroad, winning awards, like the Kodak European Awards in Arles 1991. He also participated in the Biennale of Young Mediterranean Artists in Marseille and Cordoba.