In full text

Our twitter gadget has been out of commission for a while now so there's no way around it: here's a much overdue full-text update.

For a few months now we've been working with the Nicosia Municipal Arts Center and the Antiquities Department of the Republic of Cyprus to put together an exhibition for the House of Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios (aka the Ethnological Museum). The exhibition falls within the Terra Mediterranea / In Crisis Cultural program developed by NIMAC for the Cypriot Presidency of the European Union. This is a pretty complex deal for us, effectively putting an end to Re Aphrodite's guerilla activities. Still, we trust that those of you who were anxiously ushered through Hadjigeorgaki's House as school-kids (and interested enough to be reading this) will recognise this is a challenge worth being outed for.

Needless to say, the museum is a pretty quirky place. It's a Europa Nostra-awarded renovated monument: the 18th century home of the Christian-Ottoman official (a dragoman, dorgman, tardjaman or interpreter, and a controversial if tragic historical figure). Also the building was the first example of urban architecture in Cyprus to be officially recognised as an 'Ancient Monument' in 1935, while the museum was haphazardly established in the 60s and has mostly been left untouched since the 80s, when it was restored with considerations of Ottoman authenticity while keeping its colonial décor (source). This was all part of our initial brief. We then went on to talk to loads of people and to invite as many as we could to join us in.. doing something with the place. Not only an exhibition of contemporary art, but also a series of performances, educational events and academic round-tables.

At first the idea was to expand on the thematology Re Aphrodite has already been exploring things like issues of difference, language, gender and sex. Issues which we've tried to identify as metaphorically, visually, humorously and otherwise involved in Cypriot and Middle Eastern paradoxes in general terms. We've moved on a bit since that. 


The exhibition opens July 4th!

That's the oven beeping, gtg ^____^