Visit the Palm-Tree Kiosk at upcoming exhibition

Characteristic of the town, palm trees will be the centre of a new exhibition opening in Larnaca next week. Based on the archive of the Phivos Stavrides Foundation – Larnaca Archives, the exhibition The Palm-Tree Kiosk brings together historical objects, photographs, posters, emblems and postcards bearing the palm-tree.

Set up in the form of an installation at the Foundation, viewers can visit a touristic kiosk, like those located along the Phinikoudes Promenade. The archival evidence is exhibited in open dialogue with new artworks – contemporary postcards, a peculiar form of communication that combines the speakers’ public message with a unique and iconic image. The two-dimensional and touristic depiction of the palm tree is presented on reused product display stands, while the tree’s multiplicity unfolds in a context of historical references and aesthetic portrayals related to the person that planted it and lives with it.

With nine participating artists (Giorgos Gerontides, Evros Evriviades, Hope [Konstantinos Ntagkas], Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert, Iosif Hadjikyriakos, Katerina Scoufaridou, PASHIAS, Filep Motwary and Hourig Torossian), the exhibition The Palm-Tree Kiosk is the conclusion of the research programme ‘I’ve Made You a Palm-Tree’ initiated in 2018 by PASHIAS and Hadjikyriakos.

Its first visual presentation took form as the homonymous exhibition, in collaboration with architect Katerina Scoufaridou, at Nicosia’s former Hondos Centre (December 2020 – April 2021). Through the empty commercial centre’s window, the exhibition negotiated the palm tree’s multiformity as a symbol of cultural identity, according to its historical and contemporary presence in the urban landscape. Then the live performance artwork DAME was commissioned for this year’s Buffer Fringe Festival, inviting viewers to a public parking space in the old town of Nicosia.

Visual artist PASHIAS was planted and rooted next to the palm tree, taking a stance of protest towards current socio-political conditions, while the message of green smoke grenades was transferred by the wind towards the vehicles – viewers. Now, the exhibition continues the project and the exploration of the palm trees theme in a new showcase blending the creative practices of more artists and elements of Larnaca.

The Palm-Tree Kiosk

Group exhibition curated by PASHIAS and Iosif Hadjikyriakos. December 10-January 28. Phivos Stavrides Foundation – Larnaca Archives, 1 Zinonos Kitieos Street, 6023, Larnaca. Opening night: 7.30pm. Monday-Friday: 9am-1.30pm. Tel: 24-400065