Ongoing exhibition looks at life’s work of Cyprus favourite

An exhibition of works by Hambis Tsangaris featuring engravings and illustrations spanning 46 years from 1973 to 2019 is ongoing at the Hambis Printmaking Museum in Plataniskia village, connecting the art form with Cypriot texts and heritage.

Included in the exhibition are illustrations for texts by various authors, Cypriot folk songs, Cypriot folk tales from the collection of the Cyprus Institute of Scientific Research, and books published by Hambis himself (The Spaniard and the Forty Thieves, The Basilisk of Venice, The Ghost of Vasilis Michaelides, Goblins, the Three-Ply and the Dragon of the Apple Tree).

Also presented in the exhibition are linocut matrices and chromatic preparations for silk prints, from Hambis’ illustrations. The exhibition was curated by Hélène Reeb, who writes:

“Created to illustrate texts by various authors or by himself, or inspired by poems without the purpose of publication, many of Hambis’ engravings can be described as illustrations. In this exhibition, original linocuts and silk prints are presented, which illustrate almost exclusively texts by Cypriot authors, often written in the Cypriot dialect, inspired by the traditions and history of the island.

“While the illustrations of the books he published are well known, there are others, old or recent, that illustrate very different texts, poems, stories, and fairy tales. Several works develop artistically the personal interpretation of a verse, others are vignettes, cover illustrations, and title pages. They bring the reader and viewer into contact with a very personal and linguistically diverse artistic reading of the texts, characterised above all by sensitivity, love for the heritage of Cyprus, and the dedication of the engraver to his struggles.”

Hambis Illustrator

Exhibition by Hambis Tsangaris. Hambis Printmaking Museum, Plataniskia village, Limassol district. www.printmaking.cy. Tel:  25-222772