Art awards

The January Art Aware Bicommunal Fine Arts Programme held at the Goethe Centrum, Nicosia was a huge success. Packed to capacity.
Both Daphne Mavrovouniotis Trimikliniotis (who is President of EKATE - Cyprus Chamber of Fine Arts) and Ismet Tatar gave engrossing slide show talks about their work.
Although their work was different in style from each there was a strong link with survival in their art. Quality and depth and concern ruled. A brilliant evening.
Because of the post seasonal timing of this last meeting the next one will be soon. This is scheduled for  Sunday 4th February at 7 pm. So here is early news.
 I am not sure who the Turkish Cypriot will be but it could be Cevdet  Cagdan.
The other representative of the island’s artists speaking on Next Sunday is Martin Meason
Martin was born in Dartford U.K in 1962 and graduated in painting at Wimbledon School of Art. His most recent solo show here was ‘Diving For Pearls’ at Argo Gallery.
Martin says "I have lived in Cyprus since 1996. The subject matter of my paintings has tended to come from my immediate surroundings, the architecture of my flat and studio, the views from my window, things that I experience everyday.
"I use photo-based images quite frequently, often emphasizing the mechanical characteristics of the medium, blur, camera, shake, under/over exposures etc.
In other work I have experimented with distortion based on imperfect reflections and more recently a process of cutting or tearing pieces of wood, cardboard and paper that have been painted with basic grid designs.
I am often working with oppositions of inside and outside or intimate and vast and try to place my work in a kind of middle ground between the two."

Christina Christou at Gallery k

Christina’s exhibition opened on Wednesday and continues until the 10th of the month
Gallery  k loyal to its tradition of supporting talented young artists is welcoming the New Year with the paintings of Christina Christou.
According to the artist: "The main subject of my paintings is the human form, which is used as a medium for understanding human relationships but also the lack of them.
My painting borrows the aesthetics of Pop or adopts the simplicity of drawing and the austerity of single colours. I am influenced by surrealism and psychoanalysis while I investigate  the power relationships that come from glances."
Christou tries to capture in her paintings the essence of the people around her. Her figures are full of electrifying energy. When more than one figure appears in a work an intense psychological dialogue is taking place between them. When a figure is alone, his/her glance creates an inevitable dialogue with the viewer. Some figures wear a provocative look that makes the viewer feel almost uncomfortable while others are looking elsewhere and hence invite the viewer to explore them.
Christina Christou was born in Nicosia in 1976. She studied  Design and Fashion Marketing at the Central St Martin’s College of Art & Design. She has co-operated with international fashion houses in designing and organising collections but also in the design, production and organization of fashion shows. She has also illustrated children’s books and represented Greece in the 11th Biennale of Young Creators in Europe and the Mediterranean in the illustration section. Her work has been presented in group comics and design exhibitions. In addition, she has participated in two solo exhibitions in Greece, Lately she is co-operating with the stage designer Antoni Bolanaki for the stage design and the costumes of the theatre production "Macbeth".

Katie Sabry and Ketty Noman              
Dinos Art CafE

This is an exhibition of paintings by Katie Sabry and Ketty Norman at Dino’s Art CafE, Irinis Street, Limassol Old Town which will continue until 4th March.
Kelly and Katie are exhibiting together for the first time. The collection is their impressions of coastal towns; the buildings and play of light that is always so unique near the sea.
They are in oils, watercolour and collage. The exhibition space is a restored listed building and both artwork and building compliment each other. Both artists are permanent residents of Limassol and members of "cinema # 1" artist’s collective

George Koumouros                                                     Gallery Morphi  Limassol.

This exhibition opens on  1st February and continues until the17th of the month..
Koumouros is certainly one of our very best painters.  He captures the essence of  feelings about here. His colour is outstanding while his vision is totally original.  A painting, maybe a landscape which includes a broken chair can evoke a whole history of  strife. Subtle, original and extraordinarily beautiful canvases.

 2+ 2 at Opus 39

The excellent group exhibition of four artists 2+2 continues at Opus until Saturday 3rd of February then from Monday  5th February to 17th February. Opus 39 hosts Nilgun Gunay and Osman Keten.
Nilgun Gunay  was born in Nicosia 1952. She graduated at the State Fine Arts Academy Istanbul and has had thirteen solo exhibitions here and abroad including Austria and Germany. 
 She has received many awards and honorary prizes and also participated in at least  40 group exhibitions. 

Osman Ketin was born in Anafodia, Larnaca in 1962  and studied painting at Marmara University Fine Arts Faculty.  Has had many  exhibitions both here and abroad ( including Macedonia, and Austria.).

 Still On

- Christos Foukaras at Gloria’s
Continues until 10th February. Christos Foukaras as born in Kissonerga in 1944. He studied at the Sourikov Institute of Fine Arts in Mocow  (1970-1976).
Studied painting for the first two years and then specialized for the next four in monumental painting at the studio of Professor Claudia Alexandrovna Toutevol.
Awarded the MA  in 1976. He then moved to Athens where he worked and exhibited at the Ora gallery a series of works inspired by the events of 1974.
 From 1979 to 2004 he worked as an art teacher in the secondary schools. Now he works as a full time artist. Covered last week on the arts page.

- Horst Weierstall at Argo Gallery until Saturday 27th of January
Thoughtful , imaginative paintings and conceptual work.
- Markos  Stasoullis at Kypriaki Gonia, Larnaca until  the30th  of January. Acrylic and Water Colour
 - 35 Years of THOK at The Lanitis, Limassol until 11 March.

 Photo captions

1: 

2:  Abandoned Carob Store, Karpasia
Katie Sabry at Dinos Art CafE

3: Balcony
Kelly Norman  at Dinos Art CafE

4: Alarm: George Koumouros at Gallery Morphi, Limassol

5: Emptiness
Nilgun  Guney  Opus 39

6:

7: Depth
Martin Meason at Art Aware Goethe Zentrun

Record visitors for Louvre

PARIS (AP)
THE Louvre Museum had a record number of visitors in 2006, thanks to dynamic Friday-night programming, successful temporary exhibits and a lecture series by Nobel prize-winner Toni Morrison, the Paris museum said.
About 8.3 million people visited the Paris museum in 2006, compared to 7.5 million the previous year, the museum said in a statement. Attendance has increased steadily over the past few years.
The Louvre said it was still evaluating what factors affected the 2006 figures. The statement did not mention any impact from the May release of Ron Howard's film adaptation of ''The Da Vinci Code'' - part of which was shot in the museum - but Louvre officials have said they expected it to draw movie fans.
Both French and foreign visitors were on the rise, the Louvre said, without giving a breakdown. The Louvre invited Morisson to stage a series of lectures, readings, films, concerts and debates, which helped boost the number of visitors in November.
The museum also offers free open houses every Friday night to anyone under age 26 - popular events that sometimes include concerts and have even featured slam poetry. Popular art exhibits included a major show on the French painter Ingres that brought 379,000 visitors, the Louvre said.