Marriage of carving to naOve culture
 THE Young  Engravers 2005 -2006 exhibition, originally organised in Athens by the Etaireia Eikastikon Technon A. Tassos, aiming at presenting the new tendencies in the art of engraving, is being hosted here in Limassol by the Cyprus Chamber of Fine Arts, E K A T E at  the Evagoras Lanitis Centre, Limassol  until the 17th of the month.  
 On Thursday, December 14th at 19.30 there will be a lecture by Hambis Tsangaris at the Lanitis Centre entitled "The marriage of carving to naOve culture". A documentary on the work of the artist will follow, entitled "Hambis’ Fairytales".
Meanwhile, Hambis’  book launch and exhibition  of silk screens from his  Kalikangiari – Cypriot Tales continues until  10 January at Kypriaki Gonia, Larnaca.
Hambis was born in Kondea, Cyprus, in 1947.
He writes in his book:
" When I was 24, I was fortunate to have met the engraver A.Tassos. He later invited me to join him at his workshop, where he tutored me in my first lessons in engraving, especially in woodcutting. His invitation and special attention influenced and determined my future steps in art. From the age of 25 until 35, I studied graphic arts at the Surikov Institute of Moscow, paying special attention in linocut and woodcutting"
"Every year, since 1995, during the whole month of August, I offer at Plataniskia free tuition in the art of linocut to anyone who is interested. This is in memory of my great tutor, A. Tassos, who offered the same thing to me."
 
New collective formed
A GROUP of 10 artists all living and working in Limassol have formed ‘Cinema#1,’ a new collective.
Cinema#1’s collective identity derives from the differing styles and media employed by the creative individuals that make up the group, therefore developing a new visual language through the hybridisation of diversity.
The Geoff May Studio will be hosting ‘Cinema#1’s’ anticipated debut exhibition this December, a selection of work from six members of the collective, Louis Begernie, Michael Dettmer, Kelly Norman, Katie Sabry, Mike Turner and Raymond Wilson, will be introducing ‘Cinema#1’ and their exciting new approach to visual art as a hybrid of mediums, cultures and experiences to Limassol.
This exhibition, opening on December 13, is an introduction to some of the individuals within the collective and the group as a whole, becoming a preface to anticipated future ‘cinema#1’ exhibitions and events.
Cinema#1 is  at The Geoff May Studio, 9b Enosesos Street, Limassol.
Opening on Wednesday, December 13, 7.30pm, the exhibition will run for one week, daily from 10am to 1pm and 4pm to 7 pm for more information contact Kelly on 99904710.

More on Lemba
  
A CHRISTMAS exhibition takes place at the Cyprus College of Art from December 14, at 7pm until January 6.
Stass Paraskos, who founded the Cyprus College of Art in 1951, has exhibited and taught internationally and has been (still is, of course) a great inspiration to his students.
Past graduates and resident artists include many famous names such as Rachael Whiteread, Terry Frost and Euan Uglow.
The work from this year’s post-graduates covers a wide range of media focusing on painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, multi-media and installation. The simple environment of Cyprus College of Art allows total freedom of expression and a new way for each artist to progress within their wok.
The Christmas show will give the public the opportunity to view each postgraduates students’ work. All are welcome to join everyone at 7pm on the opening night, December 14, where artists and tutors alike will be pleased to talk about their work. The show will run over the Christmas period until January 6.
Although joined by a common theme of exploring the abundance of nature, culture, history and social structures of Cyprus, these artists come from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
An Edinburgh College of Art graduate, Caroline Hepburne-Scott, spent two months last year at the Aboriginal Art Centre near Alice Springs in Australia.
Her present paintings deal with the natural environment concentrating on the fragile and transitory elements of the landscape.
In the same vein Welsh born Alys Owen also finds inspiration for her work in the organic.
Her tactile and seductive 2D drawings and 3D forms draw the viewer in yet at the same time are slightly daunting and unnerving.
Cary Wilson observes natural sculptural forms, balancing drawing with painting and finding spatial, linear and colour relationships.
Animator and photographer Jennifer Kilgour is also a graduate from Edinburgh College of Art, and is utilising and exploring her Fine Art  practice in drawing and painting, specialising in figurative subjects.
A number of artists are inspired by the body: Sarah Misselbrook draws from skeletal forms and sensual structures, providing a base for comments on issues surrounding consumption, femininity and feminism.
Similarly, Canadian born printmaker Eve Kemp is exploring painting and drawing, drawings that combine the female form with sensitive observational studies of Cypriot flowers, whilst Graham Loder’s subject is body posture, gesture and position. His drawing, painting and photography combine rock formations and body forms into painted Cyprus landscapes.
As the exhibition continues until January 6, the Arts Page will inform readers on other exhibitors during the next weeks
The Limassol Studios, too, are having a Christmas exhibition. This will open on Tuesday December 12.
The Cyprus College of Art Limassol Studios is at 19, Makedonias Street, off Eleftherias Street, Limassol just behind Limassol castle.
 

Another Christmas exhibition

THE Gallery k show opened last Saturday and continues until January 6.
This exhibition includes works by well-known artists, jewellery and art objects
Alexandros Alexandrakis. An artist of international repute, who became famous through his war drawings. Most of his work shows a propensity for the minimal line. Some works have been reduced almost to the point of abstraction, for the sake of design aesthetics
Stathis Vatanides.  Vatanides’ work is distinguished by his special love for the human figure. The female figure, naked or casually dressed, voluptuous, sensual and, at the same time, fragile, in  a state of  clear but also controllable sensuality.
Aristotelis.     He chose to concentrate on the highly traditional field of landscapes, but like others before him, such as Cezanne, he has something entirely fresh and new to bring to the genre. Revisiting  Cubism, he incorporates bold expressionistic strokes of brush and palette knife to celebrate the Cypriot landscape and the Mediterranean Sea.
Mattheos Christou. The form in Mattheos’ paintings capture a fraction of the essence of our time. Their rich, sensitive world can be seen through the serene and peaceful curved lines of the motional realm.
Alexandros Vayianos. The main subjects of his work are portraits and the human figure in general. The individual and his/her different emotional states influence and inspire the artist.
Eleanora Gerolemou. Eleanora focuses on the creation of a discrete balanced surface. The refined colour, in relation to the repeated pattern, is the basis of her work.
Louciana Papadopoulou. Louciana creates female figures with movement and transparency. She is concerned with the subject matters of meditation, memory and eroticism.
Konstantinos Kyrtis. Kyrtis attempts to get beneath the skin of the physical form he paints. For this reason he manages to present human figures that are more complex and with more psychological depth than they first appear to have.
Toula Mala. This already established artist won her public by choosing to present the voluptuous and sensual female figure as her main subject matter for her sculpture. Her female figures are alive with sensuality and boldness.
Joanna Malgorzata. Joanna works with clay and her main subject is the human figure  - a human figure which is full of optimism and love.
Also  designer jewellery by Marianna Anastasiou and Christiana Merki Sika and objects designed by Uri Geller in aluminium, bronze, porcelain, glass and crystal 20% of the sales will be donated to Alkonides registered charity.
 

Yet other Christmas exhibitions
OTHER galleries, too, are having Christmas shows.
Kypriaki Gonia, Larnaca has a large number of small works by many, many artists.
There are well-known artists from Cyprus and Greece, some outstandingly good artists from the UK, too. This gallery will surely need an extension soon.
The Christmas mixed opens on Wedneday 13th.
Gloria has an exhibition of smaller works the very next day on Thursday,  December 14. Of course there is the huge and drawn out AUCTION at  Gallery k... Some of these works  have starting prices of  ten thousand pounds. My bet is on the Christofouros Savva drawing of a nude – no, I didn’t pose for it.
Diachroniki Gallery Ledras (opposite Debenhams) and Laiki Yitonia, Nicosia as well as  Arch. Makarios Avenue 31,  Dhali, have large amounts of  wonderful paintings - strong on Cypriot imagery.
Maki Chrysa Somakou is exhibiting collage and ceramics at Technis Dromena Gallery, Strovolos. Anastassiou also has ceramics at  Theatro Ena.

Very special
SKEVI Afantiti invites you to the presentation of her new collection of jewellery, tonight Friday, December  8, at  6pm.at 3e Amaldas Street, Nicosia, Tel 22761655.
This  wonderful collection continues until December 15. Opening hours: Saturday to Friday 9.301pm and 3pm-8pm.
Skevi titles her work “Balance”.

Very, very special
ANASTASSIA Nicolaou, now at Forza 9 Gallery, Polis Chrysochos, sends in  her poetic comment on her art.
Progress made between the knowing,
 Freedom lost in the quiet power,
Blind cells,
Visible parameters,
Loyal bones connecting,
Loose mouths spilling
Empty information
Into mindless fluid
Loosing human potential.
       

New shows
THE Opus 39 exhibition of paintings by Christos Christou  opened last Monday, which is after this page goes to bed.
So more next week on this dynamic artist  with Paris (and Paphian) connections.
Helene Black at Diatopos

The Secrets I Am Telling Are Yours
The title of this exhibition may hold THE SECRET to the finely executed art on display but actually its not essential. 
Each work can be taken on its own.
And do they vary?
If you jump headlong into Nos 6 and 7 you may wonder why the artist does not pursue the strong themes suggested: bodies (male), like crosses (actually nearby there is a real silver lady carrying a whole burden of them up in the air), then across the gallery what looks like a very well looked after collection of school books.
These books are extraordinarily normal, don’t deserve the expensive packaging and are  hardly adult.
But the "men" in No 7  bathed in silver (armour) evoke control and power. Next to No 7 called  “Strange Bedfellows”  is an image which could be rows and rows of little tits breasting out of squashed, crumpled black plastic.
This one, No 6 is called “Suburban touch”.
Nos 6 and 7 are so good and so good together in a mysterious way that when you go downstairs you somehow expect a connection. But there isn’t. Or is there?
Downstairs is a brilliant video of a man fluttering like a trapped canary down a coal mine. Or is it that very well known "open air" prison hitting the headlines nearly everyday? 
Powerful stuff.