The fabrics of Cypriot society
There is a fascinating exhibition of embroidery, textiles and costumes from Kaimakli, on at Myloi.
Nicosia Mayor Eleni Mavrou opened the exhibition and it goes on until April 29.
Myloi is at 4, Constantinopoleos Street, Kaimakli, close to Ayia Varvara church.
This exhibition was launched with a lecture by Julia Astreou-Christoforou and the lecture room
was packed, with every seat taken.
Others stood by the models of past wedding dresses.
There was even one distinguished lady, sitting in the front row,
whose own wedding dress of a “few” years ago was on display elsewhere.
This was an unusually professional audience, mostly women,
who, one suspected, at the drop of a needle and thread, could have re-dressed the whole crowd.
Julia’s lecture covered a great deal and with the display as well.
Myloi was chock-full of silks, cottons and embroidery (fabulous colours), which surely linked
up with the island’s great painters.
My mind has become full of new information so here is a run through
of most of what I could take in.
In 1960, I myself wore a shirt of aladjia and I include a photograph
of me taken with Christophoros Savva at the old gallery Apophasis.
At that time we were advised to wear Cypriot-made clothes
so I more or less threw away my Liberty shirts and wore handmade
aladjia.
In old photographs you will see some Cypriot ladies registered on
their identity cards as labourer. The men sat in the coffee shops as you can see in earlier Diamantis
paintings.
Julia has done a great deal of research. Her family were the Bonapartis. Did they drop off from
Elba?
Julia says there were two main styles: folk and town, because in the past Kaimakli was separated
from Nicosia.
The folk style was for everyday, aladjia, striped dresses, shirts,
trousers, tablecloths. They were necessary things, not luxury and were sold to merchants at the
women’s bazaar, near Phaneromeni church.
The town style had silk development. The bumble bee used to assist, of course.
Hand block printing and wrap-around fashion, too.
Great coloured embroideries, which surely have links with the colour tradition of paintings in
Cyprus.
Just go and see for yourself.
Opening hours 10am -1pm, 4pm-7pm weekdays.
Beautifully coloured
So many galleries are closed this holy week.
However, Diachoniki Gallery, at 84 Arsinoe Street, near Ledra
Debenhams, should be open with an interesting, beautifully-coloured
exhibition by Les Palin.
Les Palin was born to British parents in India in 1926. He went to England in 1945, and he enrolled
at the Sir John Cass College, where he studied part–time until 1966.
In 1972, one of his paintings was accepted and hung at The Royal Academy summer exhibition; subsequently,
more of his paintings were accepted there.