Red Soil exhibition depicts the harsh reality of Cyprus’ migratory birds

The AG Leventis Gallery and BirdLife Cyprus will hold a different kind of exhibition. The collaborative exhibition titled Kochinohoma – Red Soil, opens on September 20 and tells the story of the illegal killing of migratory birds in Cyprus, through a post-mortem inquiry into the unfortunate way they meet their end.

The timing of the exhibition is intentional, as birds in their millions are leaving Europe to seek the milder climates of Africa during winter. To these migratory birds that fly thousands of kilometres to their wintering grounds, Cyprus offers refuge along the way. For many, however, this route turns out to be fatal.

Kochinohoma – Red Soil is the result of multiple collaborations between creatives, led by photographer Silvio Augusto Rusmigo, and designers Omiros Panayides and Thalis Nicolaou. The project has taken the form of a book-artefact, a documentary film, as well as an interactive installation.

These elements come together to transport the viewer to a figurative crime scene, bringing them close to the objects, sounds and landscapes that make up this illegal activity, while confronting them with some hard-hitting truths on the magnitude of the problem. Through this experience, the exhibition invites the viewer to delve into the multifaceted environmental and cultural issue of wildlife crime in Cyprus, raising questions about individual responsibility as well as collective action.

Kochinohoma – Red Soil

Exhibition including a book-artefact, a documentary film, and an interactive installation. By A. G. Leventis Gallery in collaboration with BirdLife Cyprus. September 20 -October 9. A. G. Leventis Gallery, Nicosia.