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Shifting identities: a tale of dissolving narratives

aikaterini gegisian detail

The mansion of Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios and its unique microenvironment is the inspiration behind a new exhibition in Nicosia. Presented this May in the context of International Museum Day, the exhibition includes site-specific works of contemporary art by six female artists that converse with the Kornesios mansion and its surroundings.

Shifting Identities: a Tale of Dissolving Narratives, as the exhibition is titled, is curated by Dr Kostas Prapoglou.

The performance Shapes of Water by choreographer/performer Arianna Economou will take place during the opening on Friday. Until the exhibition ends on May 30, it will be open at the mansion from Tuesday to Saturday, hosting the other five artists: Marianna Constanti (Cyprus), Aikaterini Gegisian (Greece-England), Elina Ioannou (Cyprus), Vana Ntatsouli (Greece) and Belle Shafir (Israel).

Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios was the Cypriot dragoman, the official interpreter for the Sultan from 1779 for 30 years. His lavish property was built in 1793 and, today, it can still be found in the old town of Nicosia. Its architectural structure indicates an earlier medieval phase, above which Kornesios’ building was erected.

“The historical importance of the mansion,” say the organisers, “as well as its trajectory through time – not only as an architectural gem but also as an entity that remained in the epicentre of acquisitions, politics and diplomacy during its lifetime– spawns an intense new realm, an unstoppable source of imagination.

“We will attempt to unlock and reveal what has been waiting to be sensed, smelled and said,” they add. “All participating artists have been invited to participate with site-specific and context-responsive works embracing the uniqueness of their visual (or non-visual) vocabulary through installations, video, soundscapes, sculpture and performance. Each of the artists occupies a – less private – place in the mansion’s yard embracing manifold facets of history and memory, simultaneously constructing a collective effort in a process to archive possibilities with human existence at the forefront and as the main protagonist of the story.”

 

Shifting Identities: a Tale of Dissolving Narratives

Exhibition with site-specific works of contemporary art by six female artists. Curated by Dr Kostas Prapoglou and organised by BPRarts Cultural Management. May 20-30. Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios Mansion, Nicosia. Opening day: 7pm. Tuesday – Friday: 8.30am – 3.30pm. Saturday: 9.30am – 4.30pm. Tel: 22-305316. [email protected]

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