Kyriaki Costa

"21st century Iconoclasm"


The project constitutes a 'visual sequence' involving six photos of significant monuments (i.e. sites and personalities) of both European and non-European origin, all placed around the Athenian Acropolis, a symbol (par excellence) of democracy. Initially, the viewer's 'eye' is puzzled as to whether those images speak of symbiosis or disorder. Ultimately, the answer to this dilemma brings us to the concepts of fluidity and mobility. In this photo series, i allowed myself to mix monuments as a 'virtual place' (in my mind? in my heart?) where everything fits; a (peaceful or restless?) dream is born. Just like everyday life, the triptych of history, experience and memory is always an issue of boundaries (their acceptance or negation): What do we perceive as 'reality' or 'dream'? How do we understand 'fact' or 'fiction'? Where does 'sense' end and 'nonsense' start? How do we draw the line between 'emotion' and 'logic'? Finally, how does Europe fit in all this? Are we or are we not 'Europeans'? Should we speak of belonging or fragmentation? Are we 'at home' or 'homeless'? At the onset of the 21st century all the above are absolutely crucial questions that puzzle artistic creativity, especially in countries at the outskirts of Europe like Cyprus.




In 2009 Kyriaki’s work “ Presence in absence ” received first prize at the PAD international awards in Italy, for the “ Mediterranean between present and future ”competition. She is a member of the Cyprus Chamber of Fine Arts and the Cyprus Fashion Designers Association. She has participated in many group exhibitions and international art fairs. In 2006 she represented Cyprus at the Cairo Biennale with the piece “Sweet Land”; the Cyprus delegation received the ‘Best Pavilion Prize’.


Kyriaki Costa - Oficial Site


\\


/ My european story


…I still enjoy living in Nicosia, the island’s capital and largest town, but also the only divided capital in the world.


I was born in Cyprus in to Cypriot parents. At the age of 18 I left the island and spent six years studying art in Greece and the United Kingdom before returning to settle down and work in Cyprus.

My country has not had a fortuitous history. However, I still enjoy living in Nicosia, the island’s capital and largest town, but also the only divided capital in the world. I am a visual artist working on a freelance basis, focusing on social, political and cultural issues as well as the lives of individuals, and my work is often a critique of situations arising within these contexts. The fact that I live in a country with a complex and perennial political problem is inevitably reflected in my work.


I believe, however, that sometimes it is important to take a distance from one’s own specific setting – in my case a small and relatively new country - and to interact, share views, exchange opinions, personal concerns and agonies within a wider artistic forum. Our entry into the European Union suddenly made all this possible, pushing the physical boundaries back and opening up new communication channels with artists and their communities across the continent. Through such contacts and my own trips to other European countries I feel an enriched sense of identity as a citizen of a wider community.