Manifestations: views of the other world

A group exhibition exploring the otherworldly, the magical and the dreamy in art is set to open this month in Nicosia. Titled Manifestations: Views of the Otherworldly in Painting and Drawing, the exhibition will take place at NiMAC and host a series of parallel activities during its duration from March 21 to July 13.

Curated by Dr Elena Parpa and Dr Evanthia Tselika, the showcase is the first in a series of exhibitions and activities expected to take place at NiMAC throughout 2024. A total of 35 artists participate, showcasing work that relates to painting and drawing.

“The esoteric and mystical origins of painting and drawing are sought out,” say organisers, “as well as their interrelations with ritualistic processes and with practices which delve into the unconscious, the dream, the power of symbols and legends, and the energetic frequencies of the natural and material world. Multiple facets in which envisioning, daydreaming and activating the instinctual and intuitional are revealed within artistic practices when exploring the figure of the artist as one on the cusp of the material and spiritual world.

“The exhibition thus researches not only the types of iconographies employed and the specific painterly genres where such issues are negotiated (still life, landscape and self-portraiture), but also relevant references to the byzantine traditions, and eclectic affinities with artistic movements such as surrealism and geometric abstraction. It also explores the ways in which art is entangled with ideas pertaining to the sacred, the soul, the spirit and the metaphysical realm.”

A historical and intergenerational approach and methodology has been used in the development of the exhibition. Its aim is to explore divergent viewpoints and perspectives regarding the human condition through time. The exhibited pieces belong to a variety of collections, such as the State Collection of Cypriot Art, the AG Leventis Gallery, the Embassy of Greece and the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation while artwork from private collections is also exhibited.

Participating in the exhibition are Maria Andreou, Athina Antoniadou, Stylianos Atteshlis, Costas Averkiou, Rhea Bailey, Andreas Charalambous, Andreas Chrysochos, Demetri Dimas Efthyvoulos, Rea Koumidou Erel, Christos Foukaras, Mariam Sukhanova Foukara, Takis Frangoudes, Solomos Frangoulides, George Pol. Georghiou, Vera Gavrielidou Hadjida, Sophia Hadjipapa, Ümit İnatçı, Andis Ioannides, Stelios Kallinikou, Christos Kyriakides, Marios Loizides, Maria Loizidou, Eleni Nicodemou, Nicos Nicolaides, Eleni Odysseos, Lefteris Olympios, Maria Papacharalambous, Christodoulos Panayiotou, Polys Peslikas, Mary Plant, George Skotinos, Katy Phasouliotis Stephanides, Stelios Votsis, Ayshe-Mira Yashin and Natalie Yiaxi.

A series of parallel events by some of the artists will take place through spring and summer as well as specially designed educational programmes for children and guided tours in Greek and English.

Manifestations: Views of the Otherworldly in Painting and Drawing

Group exhibition. March 21-July 13. NiMAC, Nicosia. Opening night: 7pm. Tuesday – Saturday: 10am – 9pm. Tel: 22-797400. www.nimac.org.cy