New gallery opens with a new exhibition

When the pandemic hit, mother of three and freelance art collector Sanaz Nazemi Agha found an opportunity to turn her love and knowledge of art into a space that would support and welcome both artists and art lovers. When she moved to Cyprus seven years ago with her family, she left a job at a big London art publisher and quickly got involved with the local art world.

The series of lockdowns was a time to reflect and take action for British-Iranian Sanaz. “The pandemic was a major catalyst in opening the gallery,” she says. “The arts and culture are suffering so much and I thought this is a great way to bring affordable art to the public and help artists and the local community forward and exhibit.”

The 1920s building, a family business space for the Aghas, has now become Gallery 45, which will open its doors to the public in the first week of June with its first exhibition. The gallery is in the heart of Limassol’s old town. It has set its sights on exhibiting contemporary artists from both the local and international stage while also introducing emerging artists and designers to the Cyprus art scene. Until the exhibition opens, Sanaz has been holding private viewings of both the space itself and the exhibition. In a neoclassical style with tall ceilings, vintage tiles, colourful carpets and intricate details, Gallery 45 is where contemporary meets tradition. The building alone could be worth visiting.

Sanaz says she is dedicated to working for the artists, staying away from mass, commercial exhibits but supporting the art world with a few exhibitions a year. The venue’s first showcase is a solo exhibition titled B Directions by Greek artistic duo Blaqk – Greg Papagrigoriou and Simek (Christos Tzaferos) in their first exhibition in Cyprus.

With an interest in geometric forms, lines, shapes and brushstrokes, the artists and graphic designers bridge their artwork with graphic design to create abstract paintings on paper, canvas, and murals. Their compositions are made intuitively and provoke the illusionary subconscious of the viewer. Personal stories are translated into geometric minimalistic creations. Within the Blaqk collaboration, there is a strong dialogue between the artists via their personal and collaborative compositions, and this manifests in the form of large-scale artworks on canvas to smaller paintings on paper.

Both of the artists are visual artists and graphic designers based in Greece. Papagrigoriou experiments with negative space, forms, lines and calligraphy. His work is characterised by spontaneous gestures, movements and shapes that are mostly inspired by brushstrokes and nature. He incorporates digital graphics and calligraphy in his artwork and likes to experiment with various materials such as paper, fabrics and wood. His work has been shown in numerous exhibitions around the world and has collaborated with clients such as Chanel, Four Seasons Hotel, Nike, Adidas, Nespresso and Vodafone.

Tzaferos, who goes by Simek, has an interest in geometry, parallel lines, shapes, patterns and glitches. He creates public and interior murals and paintings on canvas, paper, wood and metal installations. His work is influenced by architecture and the materials displayed in the space. He often works in monochrome and combines his artwork with various hues of raw materials, he also enjoys working with colour. His artwork combines architecture and graphic design to create geometric compositions, patterns and motifs.

As a graphic designer, he works primarily in branding identity, apparel design, music albums and books. He has been experimenting with graffiti and street art since early 2000 and took up painting and photography in 2009. His work has been exhibited around the world and many of his murals can be viewed – if you know where to look – in streets, buildings and abandoned spaces. He has collaborated with clients such as Adidas, Four Seasons Hotel, Amara Hotel, Workstead and Ucon Acrobatics.

The two artists come together as Blaqk, a collaboration created in 2011. The exhibition will be their first in Cyprus.

B Directions

Exhibition by artistic duo Blaqk by artists Greg Papagrigoriou and Simek (Christos Tzaferos). June 5-July 16. Gallery 45, Limassol. Opening day: 11am-6pm. Monday-Friday: 10am-1pm, 3.30pm-6.30pm and Saturday by appointment. Tel: 97-901106