Georgios Pitsillides

at Gloria Gallery

Here is an amazing talent. The artist has billed himself as artsmith.

What could this mean? He has gained craftsmanship and design awards and a best functional sculpture award.

He likes the work of Henry Moore. Awards from The Goldsmiths’ Company UK keep pouring in, The British Jewellers’ Association has awarded him for best functional sculpture. His dad’s a jeweller but Georgios’ work at Gloria’s could only be worn to advantage by a giant.

There’s that beautiful slice of an olive tree branch holding a silver bowl of extraordinary beauty. He mentions William Hogarth’s Line of Beauty as if Moll has had a great dream of luxury and sent it to Limassol where Georgios lives.

Objects are free to move. Place a green apple on a silver dish and impressionism reigns. Titles such as see-saw, rocking vase, wine stand suggest a vivid imagination is at work. And, it is.

Georgios Pitsillides is a totally original talent. A brilliant debut. On until January 29th

Still on

Diachroniki Gallery Ledra, Nicosia is showing new interesting paintings by Aich Thema. The outstandingly brilliant exhibition by Michelle Niewel and Brinley Neil Stevens continues at Apocalypse until the January 31.

Art festivals support European Year

of Intercultural Dialogue

Froso Polycarpou, a trainee at the European Commission Representation in Nicosia has sent the Arts Page this information:

Representatives of major European arts and culture festivals have signed a declaration of support to the European Year of intercultural dialogue in Ljubljana together with the EU commissioner Jan Figel. It means that the aims and messages of the year will be reflected throughout 2008 in dozens of festivals all over the EU and beyond.

The Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth Jan Figel considers that art festivals are vital for promoting intercultural dialogue, because they enable the circulation and visibility of different cultural streams of European Arts and cultures and thus offer a concentrated possibility of exchange and enrichments.

The signing ceremony was organised by the European Festivals Association at the margins of the launch of the European Year of Intercultural dialogue in the Slovenian capital. The signature ensures the promotion of the year in music, dance and theatre festivals, rock, pop and jazz festivals, but also in literature, film or street art festivals.

"We are proud to offer our unique platforms to bring the message of intercultural interaction to millions of Europeans visiting festivals every year", said Darko Briek, EFA president and director of the Ljubljana Festival.

Altogether 22 festivals agreed to sign the declaration and others are invited to join in the days and weeks to come.

Among the signatories are directors of well-known events like the Avignon Festival, the Edinburgh International Festival or the Wiener Festwochen, but also up-and- coming ones like the International Festival Sarajevo-Winter or the Vilnius Festival.

The Declaration reflects the commitment of the participating festival to raise awareness of artists, managers, collaborators, volunteers and audiences about intercultural dialogue as a respectful and free exchange among communities and individuals that promotes and maintains cultural diversity. This diversity is understood as a condition for the protection of human rights and democracy, but also as an obstacle to stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination and ignorance.

The declaration was initiated by the European Festivals Association, a non-governmental organisation representing festivals in 38 mainly European countries, which is also a member of the steering group of the Civil Society Platform for Intercultural Dialogue.

Group exhibition

at Opus

Opus 39 Gallery has a group exhibition of paintings and ceramics starting on January14 and continuing until February 10.

The exhibition will include works by Asproftas, Dikaios, Telemachos Kanthos, Tassos Stephanides, Photos Hadjisoteriou and other very well known artists.

Engravings of Telemachos Kanthos, the album of six gelee prints of Adamantios Diamantis, the album of Christos Christou and a small album of engravings and poems by Alecos Fassianos will be on sale.

Nicos Papaloucos

at Kypriaki Gonia

An exhibition by Nicos Papaloucos is being staged at Kypriaki Gonia in Larnaca.

Here is a brilliant new Cypriot painter trained in Greece, though if any artist comes to mind it is Christoforos Savva who was trained in Paris. Great colour and a sublime use of large forms.On until January 29.