New exhibition is all about paper

Putting pen to paper, or pencil or paint for that matter, can have a meditative, relaxing effect. Sure, the world is becoming more technological and tablets have replaced notebooks and kindles have replaced books yet many still hold onto the feel of paper and an upcoming group exhibition chronicles its history and importance.

Running at isnotgallery in Nicosia from November 17 to December 4, the exhibition titled Paper features the works of 11 different artists from varied backgrounds. Curated by Andros Efstathiou and Maria Kofterou, the exhibition not only features how different artists interact with paper but also highlights paper as one of the core elements of creation.

“Τhe material which comes in thin sheets,” say the curators, “made from the pulp of plants and other fibrous substances and is used for a broad spectrum of purposes such as writing, drawing, printing, wrapping of medicine and more, is interlinked with the spread of knowledge and creativity. The secrets of its manufacturing escaped the borders of China and travelled along the Silk Road among other ideas and evidence of cultural exchange to become the dominant technology for communication and documentation of people’s observations. Typically white in colour, it still constitutes the surface onto which people from all over the world seek to substantiate their thoughts in an effort to interpret the chaotic world that surrounds them.”

Every person will have used sheets and sheets of paper in their lifetime. In school books, diaries, calendars, post-it notes and an artist perhaps uses even more. It’s where ideas are sketched, mapped out, where a canvas holds the first idea, where pencil lines begin to form a drawing.

“Within the parameters of artistic creation,” add the curators, “the use of paper is connected with the sensation of the medium which accompanies the creator, viewer or reader. In relation to the use of the screen, paper has been proven to decrease stress levels and that readers are better able to focus by peering into a book than in front of a computer. With the predominance of screens in today’s digital age, paper is acquiring new significance.

“The recent resurgence of interest for works on paper and nostalgia surrounding books occur because of the qualities of the material in relation to the screen but also because of its symbolic aspect as a cultural product. This exhibition is an overview of paper as one of the basic materials for creative expression through various artistic approaches. From the act of drawing as a means for the artist to raise questions of identity, memory and space, book art as the exploration of the communicative connotations of the medium and paper sculpture as the experimentation with the conventions of form relative to the material, to photography and printmaking as methods of imprinting the fleeting world.”

Featured in the exhibitions are the works of Stefano Bonacci, Andros Efstathiou, Tatiana Ferahian, Yiannis Kofteros, Maria Kofterou, Charitini Kyriakou, Angelos Makrides, Anthi Pafiou, Simone Philippou, Arshak Sarkissian and Marina Yerali, each presenting their own relationship and interaction with paper.

Paper

Group exhibition. November 17-December 4. Isnotgallery, Nicosia. Opening night at 7pm. Tuesday-Friday: 10am-1pm and 3pm-6pm. Saturdays: 11am-2pm. Tel: 99-569498