Evrovizion: touring exhibition comes to Nicosia

The heart of the capital will welcome a new exhibition this month. Hosted at NiMAC, the travelling group exhibition Evrovizion.Crossing Stories and Space will open this Saturday showcasing the work of 17 international and local artists. Curated by Sabina Klemm and Sanja Kojić Mladenov, the co-creative exhibition explores the current social and political situation in Europe and the idea of a European identity and is a project by the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen organisation, presented in Nicosia in cooperation with Goethe-Institut Zypern and NiMAC.

“Evrovizion,” say organisers, “focuses on less visible and marginalised geopolitical and cultural spaces, in particular in south-eastern and eastern Europe. These are so-called ‘semi-peripheries’’ and ‘places of diversity’ that often play only a minor role in many international theoretical discourses and exhibition practices. In close cooperation with regional protagonists and each local art scene, new artistic projects are being added to the exhibition during its tour.”

The exhibition lands in Nicosia following presentations at the History Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Vojvodina in Serbia and the Goethe-Institut Athen in Greece. The Cyprus showcase has been expanded to include a new work by Greek Cypriot artist Kyriakos Theocharous and Turkish Cypriot artist Nurtane Karagil, curated by Maria Efstathiou. Further local expansion of the exhibition is also planned. Adnan Softić will for example develop new works in close cooperation with local actors.

Artists Lana Čmajčanin, Ivana Ivković, Adnan Softić, Maria Tsagkari, Kyriakos Theocharous and Nurtane Karagil will be present during the opening ceremony as well, where they will be available to discuss their work with the public. Exhibition curators Klemm, Mladenov and local curator Efstathiou will guide visitors through the show.

Before each exhibition opens, a young local professional (an artist, curator and/or researcher) is invited to participate in the Pickle Bar mentorship programme in Berlin. For two months, they are integrated into the artists’ studio and mentored in their projects – some of which may eventually be presented as part of Evrovizion. Greek Cypriot curator and researcher Ioulita Toumazi was chosen as a fellow of the 2023 Pickle Bar residency-mentorship programme.

Following the exhibition in Nicosia, a new issue of the Evrovizion magazine will be published, thus enriching the archive of the journey. Co-edited by Evagoras Vanezis, Evrovizion.Crossing Nicosia will be dedicated to the presentation of the ever-growing project in Nicosia and its impact on the city’s cultural identity.

Evrovizion.Crossing Stories and Space

Touring, group exhibition exploring identity and social issues across Europe. November 11-February 10, 2024. NiMAC, Nicosia. Tuesday–Saturday: 10am–9pm. https://evrovizion.ifa.de/en,  www.goethe.de/cyprus/evrovizion, www.nimac.org.cy