NEW SCULPTURE DRAWING ATTENTION IN PAPHOS

Cyprus Mail - article by Bejay Browne - 3/10/16

A SECOND sculpture by a Paphos based artist is drawing admiration and praise from passers-by and is part of an ongoing project for the town’s winning bid as European Capital of Culture 2017.
“The little fisherman”- a bronze of a young boy and a large fish, is the second sculpture to be placed in the area by Paphos artist, Yiota Ioannidou, as part of “Signs in time and space,” project, where participating artists were chosen from an open call in 2014.

Twelve works of art are being created by six participating artists: Andreas Makariou, Andreas Paraskeva, Harris Paspallis, Dimitris Makariou, Umit Inachi and Yiota Ioannidou.
The creations emerge between the lighthouse and the sea, along the western coastline of Kato Paphos and Ioannidou’s first work “Sol Alter”, which leans on a rock and pays homage to Aphrodite, the goddess of love, took a year to complete.  The second bronze took her ten months to finish and now stands in the harbour area, close to the castle in Kato Paphos.

She told the Cyprus Mail of her inspiration for the work.  “My idea is based on the cultural spirit of place and space. Art is not fashion, it is something different. From the moment I had the idea of the sculpture, I was concerned whether it could be incorporated into the life of local people. This is important, the relationship with people. My work should be historically and culturally related to the area, so I started thinking how I could make my work in a way that it would not influence the place, but be influenced by it.”

Ioannidou said that generally artists don’t have a direct relationship with the general public and usually, there is a limited audience at galleries and museums.  She added that there is a huge difference between a work of art exhibited in a public place and another at an indoor exhibition.
She stressed the need for ‘public’ art and, as with many other artists in Paphos, said she hoped there would be more open air creations in the future.

“For me, galleries and museums are places for research, where professional discussions between fellow artists and art experts take place.”  She said that art displayed in a public place is radically different.  “You have to face the cultural reality there and you don’t have discussions with art experts, but with everyday people. For them, it is just a matter of ‘like it or not’.”

Direct relationship with the public is something that gives great satisfaction to the artist, she added.
“In other countries, modern art is accepted more easily and is something natural for everyone.”
Other artworks in the area include, “Views of Infinity”, is a geometric marble installation by Harry Paspallis, Ioannidou’s first work “Sol Alter”, and the ‘Red Poppy’ by Andreas Paraskevas. Other works from the Cyprus based artists will placed at different spaces across Paphos to create an ‘open air art museum,’ by May 2017.

Info: www.pafos2017.eu