Haig Aivazian (b. 1980, Beirut) is an artist living in Beirut. Working across a range of media and modes of address, he delves into the ways in which power embeds, affects and moves people, objects, animals, landscape and architecture. Aivazian explores apparatuses of control and sovereignty in sports, museums, the office, music and anywhere else they may be at work.

Costas Averkiou (1917-1981, Psimolofou) lived and worked in Nicosia. He is a self-taught engraver and painter. He worked with his father as a carpenter and thus acquired the necessary knowledge of woodcarving, which later proved to be useful in his artistic career. He dealt occasionally with plagues, advertising posters and the graphic arts in general. At the same time, he was devoted to his art and more specifically to the art of painting. Averkiou represented Cyprus at the 36th Venice Biennale of Art together with four other Cypriot artists.

Nikos Charalambidis (b.1967, Limassol) lives and works in Athens. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence and continued his studies in sculpture at the Athens School of Fine Arts. He completed his postgraduate studies in Digital Art, and obtained a Master’s degree in Robotics. He has realised over fifteen one-man shows in Greece and other countries and participated in several international exhibitions, festivals, conferences and biennials. Charalambidis represented Cyprus at the 50th Venice Biennale of Art, as well as the 47th Venice Biennale of Art together with three other Cypriot artists.

Savvas Christodoulides ( b.1961, Pafos) lives and works in Nicosia. He studied at the National School of Fine Arts of Toulouse (1981-86) and at the University of Provence from where he received his PhD (2000-2006) from the faculty of Arts et Lettres. He has participated in numerous exhibitions, including the Athens Biennial (2009) and the Biennial of Sao Paulo (2012). He has published papers on art. Christodoulides represented Cyprus at the 47th Venice Biennale of Art together with three other Cypriot artists.

Marianna Christofides (b.1980, Nicosia) lives and works in Berlin. She studied Visual and Media Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts, Athens and the Slade School of Fine Art, London. She then completed her Postgraduate Degree in Media Arts and Film at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. In 2010 she received the Friedrich-Vordemberge Grant for Visual Arts by the City of Cologne. In 2009, Christofides represented Cyprus in the Biennial of Young Artists from Europe where she won the Resartis-Worldwide-Network-of-Artist-Residencies Award. Christofides represented Cyprus at the 54th Venice Biennale of Art together with artist Elizabeth Hoak-Doering.

Andreas Chrysochos (b.1929, Milia, Famagusta) lives and works in Nicosia. He studied painting at Goldsmiths’ College, School of Art of the University of London and psychology of children’s art at N.E. London Polytechnic. He worked as teacher of art at the Pedagogical Academy and Art Inspector. Involved in art criticism, icon-painting and calligraphy. Chrysochos represented Cyprus at the 34th Venice Biennale of Art, Cyprus’s first participation, with five other Cypriot artists.

Endrosia was established in 2018 as an artist-run project space by Alexandros Xenophontos. The space was formerly used as a carpentry storage unit by Xenophontos’ grandfather, Drosos. Since 2021, Endrosia has been operating as a collective of seven practitioners (Andreas Andronikou, Marina Ashioti, Niki Charalambous, Doris Mari Demetriadou, Irini Khenkin, Rafailia Tsiridou, Alexandros Xenophontos) bringing together a wide spectrum of disciplines through cross-functional processes.

The collective is named after a Cypriot phrase that expresses a sense of relief prompted by a cool breeze, a ‘drosia’ that haphazardly seeps through the humidity that is characteristic of our climate. A breeze makes itself felt, be it arbitrarily, even in the most asphyxiating temperatures; a reminder that humidity is not always impenetrable.

The Lower Levant Company (LLC) is a project by Emiddio Vasquez and Peter Eramian that investigates Cyprus’ geopolitical and economic activities, through its affiliations across the Levant and beyond.

The Levant Company, after which the project is named, served as a model for first wave capitalism in the region. By establishing trading alliances between the British, Venetians and the Ottoman Empire in the late 16th century and setting up factories in the Eastern Mediterranean in cities such as Aleppo, Smyrna, Cairo, Algiers, Larnaca and Salonica, the company was instrumental in the colonisation of the New World. Despite its eventual demise, the company’s structure in many ways prefigures the contemporary organisation of financial capital in the region, but also the very historical developments of Cyprus towards its independence. In that sense, LLC considers ways to recontextualize the geopolitical forces that still permeate the island, across scales and agencies, while challenging the westernising narratives that exclude Cyprus from its cultural and geographic vicinity.

The inclusion of “Lower” in the name recalibrates the company’s originary ambitions to the project’s own commitment to a practice of material and political regrounding; one that reorients its scope in relation to the land, subterranean activities, and modes of extractivism that operate in the present moment.

Haris Epaminonda (b.1980, Nicosia) lives and works in Berlin. She works in a variety of media from collage to film, installation and sculpture. She was educated at the Royal College of Art, Kingston University, and Chelsea College of Art & Design, and she has since gone on to exhibit at major art centres such as Tate Modern, MoMA, Malmö Konsthall and dOCUMENTA(13). She has participated in residencies such as the Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin with the support of the UNDO Foundation, Nicosia, and has been nominated for the ‘Preis der Nationalgalerie für junge Kunst’ in Germany. Epaminonda represented Cyprus at the 52nd Venice Biennale of Art together with artist Mustafa Hulusi.

Theodoulos Gregoriou (b.1956, Malounta) lives and works in Nicosia and Paris. He studied painting at the Institute of Arte Plastice “N. Grigorescu” in Bucharest with a scholarship from UNESCO (1976 – 1981). He won the Prix Matisse Scholarship of the French Embassy in Cyprus (1985). He continued his studies with a scholarship from the French state and worked at Cite International des Arts and the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris (1986-1987). Gregoriou represented Cyprus at the Aperto exhibition by invitation of the Venice Biennale of Art in 1990.

Lia Haraki (b.1975, Limassol) lives and works in Limassol. Studied at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Soon emerged as one of the leading creative forces in contemporary dance. Has performed all over Europe and taken part in the major festivals. In 2003 she founded her own company, .pelma.lia haraki; in 2005, with four other Cypriot companies, established the Dance House Lemesos, the only space in Cyprus dedicated entirely to contemporary dance. She teaches at the University of Nicosia. Haraki represented Cyprus at the 55th Venice Biennale of Art in a joint exhibition of Cypriot and Lithuanian artists.

Maria Hassabi (b. Nicosia) is a New York based artist and choreographer. Her performances and installations are presented worldwide in theaters, museums, galleries, and public spaces including, Centre Pompidou (Paris); K20, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen (Düsseldorf); documeta14 (Kassel); Walker Art Center (Minneapolis); Museum of Modern Art (New York); Hammer Museum (Los Angeles); Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston); Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam); Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels); ArtSonje (Seoul); Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (Melbourne); steirischer herbst (Graz); Performa (New York); The Kitchen (New York), amongst others. Hassabi has received a 2016 “Bessie” Award for Outstanding Production; the 2015 Herb Alpert Award; the 2012 President’s Award for Performing Arts from Lower Manhattan Cultural Council; a 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship; and a 2009 Grants to Artists Award from Foundation for Contemporary Arts. She holds a BFA from California Institute of the Arts. Hassabi represented Cyprus at the 55th Venice Biennale of Art in a joint exhibition of Cypriot and Lithuanian artists.

Elizabeth Hoak-Doering (b.1966, Philadelphia) lives and works in Nicosia since 2006. She is an interdisciplinary artist and writer, exhibiting kinetic installation, experimental drawing, printmaking and durational media. Her work addresses questions of individuality, agency and freedom, as found in, and expressed through material culture and archaeology – questions that are approached through a multidisciplinary, experience-based research practice (visual, historical and other). She is a published author and her work is part of international public and private collections. She has been based in Nicosia, Cyprus, since 2006. Hoak-Doering represented Cyprus at the 54th Venice Biennale of Art together with artist Marianna Christofides.

Mustafa Hulusi (b. 1971, London) lives and works in London. He studied Fine Arts and Critical Studies at Goldsmiths College and continued his studies on photography at the Royal College of Art. Hulusi’s work moves within the territory of, as the artist claims “the growing estrangement from the dominant socio-political ideology governing artists which has often led to an introspective and escapist mental space, a re-enchanted artistic space that counters the disenchantment of social and cultural life today.” His works are included in prominent international collections including Pinault Collection and Tate Collection. Hulusi represented Cyprus at the 52nd Venice Biennale of Art together with artist Haris Epaminonda.

Costas Joachim (b.1936, Bellapais) lives and works in Cyprus. He studied art at Bath Academy or Art in Corsham, UK, and the University of Bristol, from 1960, with specialisation in painting, sculpture and visual perception. He also specialized in art education. In 1963 he was awarded the Degree of Fine Arts and Education from the University of Bristol and in 1975, he received the Certificate of Fine Art of the School of Fine Arts of the Polytechnic in Athens. In 1981 he received the Diploma of Post Graduate Studies in aesthetics and history of art, at Byam Shaw and Chelsea College of Art, London. Joachim represented Cyprus at the 34th Venice Biennale of Art, Cyprus’s first participation, with five other Cypriot artists.

Andreas Karayan (b.1943, Nicosia) lives and works in Cyprus and Egypt. He studied Medicine at the University of Athens, where he graduated in 1967. He traveled to London for specialization but he was drawn by the culture of the late ’60s and left Medicine to study painting at Camberwell School of Art (1972) and Central School of Art (1973). He then studied engraving in Germany and spent some time in Berlin. Karayan represented Cyprus at the 49th Venice Biennale of Art.

Glafkos Koumides (b. 1950, Nicosia) lives and works in Germany and Cyprus. He studied architecture in London at AA School of Architecture, 1969-1974 and psychology in Germany at University of Cologne, 1979-1983. He has presenetd his work in many solo and group exhibitions in Cyprus and abroad amongst which Change of Climate, Nicosia / Glavkos Koumoudes, Apocalypse Gallery, Nicosia (2009), The Grand Atelier, Europalia, Brussels / Salient Essence, Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre (2008), Historiophania, Gloria Gallery, Nicosia (2004), Off-Season, Argo Gallery, Nicosia (2002), lota Dasia, Pews, Diaspro Art Centre, Nicosia (1988), Gloria Gallery, Nicosia (1984). Koumides represented Cyprus at the 48th Venice Biennale of Art.

Nikos Kouroussis (b.1937, Mitsero) lives and works in Nicosia. He studied in London at St. Marin’s School of Art (1960-1961) and at Hornsey College of Art (1961-1964). He later attended a course on stage design in England in 1977 (on a scholarship from the British Council) and made research and gave lectures in U.S.A. (on a Fulbright scholarship) in 1986. He gave a series of lectures on art at Pratt University in New York in 1976 and 1988 as guest artist, as well as at South Dacota State University. Kouroussis represented Cyprus at the 44th Venice Biennale of Art, as well as the 36th Venice Biennale of Art together with four other Cypriot artists.

Phanos Kyriacou (b. 1977), living and working in Nicosia, holds a BFA from Middlesex School of Fine Arts, London and a MFA from Goldsmiths University, London. He has had numerous solo and group shows in Cyprus and abroad. Selected solo exhibitions include: “This Case is in Process of Arrangement”, Thkio Ppalies, Nicosia (2017); “Daily Life”, Maccarone, New York (2015); “Who is Nathan?”, Rupert, Vilnius (2015); “The Adventures of a Giant Midget”, Thkio Ppalies, Nicosia (2015); “view to river from north”, Maccarone, New York (2014); “Between a woman and a mountain”, The Temporary Museum, Nicosia (2013); “Intimate long shot”, Chypre Culture, Paris (2012); “corners concrete pine wood man standing” Kinderhook & Caracas, Berlin (2012); “Everyone should walk”, Salon Popular,  Berlin (2011); “On Handling Considered as one of the Fine Arts”, Kreuzberg Pavilion, Berlin (2011); “I am going to have to disappoint you”, Altes Finamzant, Berlin (2011); “Glimpses and observations”, Glogauair Residency Program Berlin (2011), “It was an odd, almost unreal landscape, not without a certain beauty” Omikron Gallery, Nicosia (2010); “Crash helmets must be removed”, APOTHEKE, Nicosia (2009). He is represented by Maccarone NY. Kyriacou represented Cyprus at the 55th Venice Biennale of Art in a joint exhibition of Cypriot and Lithuanian artists.

George Kyriacou (b.1940, Exo Metochi) lives and works in London, Nicosia and Aegina. He studied sculpture at Chelsea School of Art in London (1961-1964). Between 1964-1969 he worked as an art tutor in Cyprus. In 1972, he was awarded a scholarship by the French government to study Museology in Paris. In 1976-1977 he studied Arts Administration at the Polytechnic of Central London and was awarded the diploma in the Arts and Leisure Administration. Kyriacou represented Cyprus at the 34th Venice Biennale of Art, Cyprus’s first participation, with five other Cypriot artists.

Maria Loizidou is a visual artist, educated in Lyon, France and settled in Nicosia, Cyprus. She has taken part in exhibitions (Documenta 14, 2017, Venice Biennale of Art, Cyprus National participation, Arsenale 1986 and Architecture, Cyprus and Greek National group participation, 2016, 2006, 2004). She created public projects (Kerameikos, Athens, Fatima, Portugal, Futuroscope, Poitier) and gave lectures in various institutions. Relevant collaborations with museums (MAMC, Musée d’art moderne et contemporain, Saint Etienne, Musée des Beaux Arts de Lyon, Benaki Museum, Athens,EMST, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, Sungkok Museum, Seoul, Bozar: Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels) keep renewing her work’ s perspective enriching it with social and political concerns giving emphasis to “the power of fragility”. Her collaboration with AA & U For Architecture, Art and Urbanism has given her the possibility to address such issues on an interdisciplinary level. Loizidou represented Cyprus at the 42nd Venice Biennale of Art.

Angelos Makrides (b.1942, Yialousa) lives and works in Nicosia since 1986. He studied sculpture at the Athens School of Fine Art (1961-1967) with Thanasis Apartis. He worked in Paris (1967-1969), in Nicosia (1969-1974) and in Athens (1974-1986). Makrides represented Cyprus at the 43rd Venice Biennale of Art, as well as the 36th Venice Biennale of Art together with four other Cypriot artists.

Panayiotis Michael (b.1966, Nicosia) lives and works in Nicosia. He studied Graphic Arts and Design at the Moscow Academic Art Institute, and Painting at Queens College, New York. Since 1994 he has presented his work in many solo and group shows, in his home country and abroad. He has represented Cyprus in the Rijeka Biennale of Croatia (1998) and the 20th Alexandria Biennale in Egypt (1999), where he was awarded the Jury Prize. Michael is co-founder of Artrageous, an artist group created in 2004 with the purpose of creating a social-political manifestation that focuses on the role of the artist as an agent of public awareness within a contemporary art context. He is also the co-founder of pick nick, a newly founded collective that initiates public interventions and events in the city space. Michael represented Cyprus at the 51st Venice Biennale of Art together with artist Konstantia Sofokleous.

Lefteris Olympios (b.1953, Limassol) lives and works in Amsterdam since 1986. He studied Graphic Art at Doxiades School, Athens, in 1973-1976. In 1978-1984 he continued his studies in painting, iconography, fresco and mosaic at the Athens School of Fine Arts and then in 1984-1986 he did painting and sculpture at the Free Academy of Fine Arts, the Hague. Olympios represented Cyprus at the 47th Venice Biennale of Art together with three other Cypriot artists.

Christodoulos Panayiotou’s (b.1979, Limassol) wide-ranging research focuses on the identification and uncovering of hidden narratives in the visual records of history and time. Solo exhibitions of his work have been held at Point Centre for Contemporary Art, Nicosia, Cyprus; Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden; Casino Luxembourg, Luxembourg; CCA Kitakyushu, Japan; Centre d’Art Contemporain de Brétigny, France; Museum of Contemporary Art, St. Louis, USA; Museum of Contemporary Art, Leipzig, Germany; Kunsthalle Zürich, Switzerland and Cubitt, London, UK (among others). He has also participated in a number of group exhibitions, including Museion, Bolzano, Italy; Berlin Biennale 8, Berlin, Germany; Migros Museum, Zürich, Switzerland; dOCUMENTA (13), Kassel, Germany; CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco, USA; Joan Miro Foundation, Barcelona, Spain; Witte de With, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Bonniers Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, USA; Ashkal Alwan Center for Contemporary Arts, Beirut, Lebanon; Artist Space, New York, USA, MoCA Miami, Miami, USA. Panayiotou represented Cyprus at the 56th Venice Biennale of Art.

Polys Peslikas (b. 1973, Limassol) lives and works in London. His practice centres on painting, proposing a meticulous relationship with the medium. Peslikas views the canvas as a space to negotiate the concept of time and often works with fragments of images and pre-existing elements within the realm of human activity and the history of art. In this context, he invents new relationships with existing narratives and incorporates these in his painting through references to other visual means. To understand painting, he often turns to other disciplines: he has collaborated with dance performers, taught in public schools, and formed part of the creative core of an art and culture publication, Ysterografo magazine, while curating solo and group shows of other artists. His most recent solo exhibitions have been held at Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, and VOLKS, Nicosia. He has participated in numerous group shows, among others at Halle 14, Leipzig, NiMAC and Point Center for Contemporary Art, Nicosia. Peslikas represented Cyprus at the 57th Venice Biennale of Art.

Mikis Phinikarides (1940-2005, Nicosia) lived and worked in Nicosia. He studied painting at the Higher School of Fine Arts and the Free Institute of Fine Art in Athens. During the years 1965 – 1972, he taught art in Secondary Schools in Cyprus, while in parallel, worked on stage design and graphics for Cypriot television. In 1973, he studied on a scholarship, graphic arts and stage design for television at the Thomson Foundation T.V. College in Glasgow. Phinikarides represented Cyprus at the 36th Venice Biennale of Art together with four other Cypriot artists.

Christoforos Savva (1924-1968, Marathovounos) lived and worked in Nicosia. After serving in the Cypriot Regiment of the British Army during World War II, he moved to London for studies at St. Martin’s School of Art and the Central School of Art, before enrolling at Heatherley’s School of Art where he studied until 1953. During the next two years, he spent time in Cyprus where he presented his first solo exhibitions and became involved in the local artistic milieu, while being one of the founders of the Pancyprian Union of Art Votaries. In 1956, he returned to London and later moved to Paris for further studies at the Académie Montparnasse, under André Lhote. The end of the decade found Savva settling in Nicosia, where he quickly established himself as one of the leading artists in a vibrant art scene, both through his own art practice and through the activities of “Apophasis” [Decision] Gallery, Nicosia. “Apophasis” which he founded in 1960 in collaboration with Welsh artist Glyn Hughes, was the first independent cultural centre of the newly founded Republic of Cyprus. As a space where creative synergy and exchange could take place, the gallery was soon to become the epicentre of intellectual and cultural activity on the island, hosting numerous exhibitions, lectures, plays and film screenings. In 1968, Savva was one of the artists selected to represent Cyprus in its inaugural Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, but only a few weeks after the opening, he died suddenly in Sheffield, UK. On the occasion of a double fifty-year anniversary associated with the participation of Christoforos Savva in the first official show of the Republic of Cyprus at the Venice Biennale in 1968, as well as the subsequent death of the artist in the same year, his work will represent Cyprus at the 58th Venice Biennale of Art.

George Sfikas (c.1943, Nicosia) lived and worked in England and Greece. He studied painting and sculpture in London at the Camberwell School of Art, Martin’s School of Art and the Institute of Education of the University of London. He presented his work in Cyprus, London, Paris Biennale and New Delhi Triennale. Sfikas represented Cyprus at the 45th Venice Biennale of Art.

George Skotinos (b.1937, Limassol) lives and works in Ayia Napa. He studied at the National School of Drama in Greece (1961 – 1964). He continued his studies in film-making in New York at the School of Visual Arts and at the Movie Subscription Group Schools (1964 – 1967). He also obtained a scholarship from Ford Foundation for studies in Painting (1976 – 1977). His practice, which moves between realism, abstraction and surrealism, is artistically recognizable for bearing its own personal style through circles of thematics. Skotinos represented Cyprus at the 34th Venice Biennale of Art, Cyprus’s first participation, with five other Cypriot artists.

Socratis Socratous (b.1971, Pafos) lives and works in Athens. He has had numerous solo and group shows in Cyprus, Greece and abroad. Selected exhibitions include: DESTE Prize Award Shortlisted artists exhibition at The Cycladic Museum, Athens (2015), ‘Pier 94 Special Projects’, The Armory Show, New York (2015), Galerie Saint-Séverin, Paris (2015), ‘This is not my beautiful house’, Kunsthalle Athena, Athens (2014), ‘Ηow to Make a Garden’, Visual Artists’ space, Nicosia (2012), ‘Gestures in Time’ at Qalandia International: Art & Life in Palestine, Jerusalem (2012), ‘Restless’, Αdelaide International Festival, Adelaide, (2012), ‘A Rock and a Hard Place’ at 3rd Thessaloniki Biennale, State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki, Greece (2011), ‘Uncovered: Nicosia International Airport, Project #7’, Ledra Street/Locmaci Buffer Zone, Nicosia, (2011), ‘The Garden’, Greek participation, Tirana Biennale, Albania (2001). His work is represented by The Breeder gallery in Athens. Socratous represented Cyprus at the 53rd Venice Biennale of Art.

Sofokleous (b.1974, Limassol) lives and works in Cyprus. She studied Graphic Design at the Technological Education Institute of Athens and Internet Technologies at New York University. This year she is to conclude her Master´s degree in Computer Animation at the University of Westminster, London. During the past few years she has participated in various European and international programmes for young artists. Since 1997 she has been working in the field of Graphic Design and Web and Multimedia Development. Sofokleous represented Cyprus at the 51st Venice Biennale of Art together with artist Panayiotis Michael.

Constantinos Taliotis (b.1983, Nicosia) lives and works in Cyprus. He is a research-based artis, whose practice focuses on narratological, aesthetic and architectural modalities deriving from popular cultural iconography. It ranges from immersive installations to photographic tableaux vivants, and from videos to books and object-based sculptures. His work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions at, amongst other places, L’Oeil de Poisson, Quebec City; The Petach Tikva Museum, Tel Aviv; Pilot Galeri, Istanbul; Arcus Projects, Moriya, Japan; AKBANK Cultural Centre, Istanbul; Salone Degli Incanti, Trieste; Thessaloniki Biennial; Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin. Upcoming exhibitions include APhF at the Thessaloniki Museum of Photography and Terra Incognita at the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin.Taliotis co-represented Cyprus at the 55th Venice Biennale of Art in a joint exhibition of Cypriot and Lithuanian artists.

Stelios Votsis (1929-2012, Larnaka) lived and worked in Nicosia. He studied at St. Martin’s School of Fine Arts, Sir John Cass College and the Royal Academy of Arts in London. His early work of portraits, landscapes and still life, he forms a personal journey that leaves the mid ’60s to devote himself to geometric comporsitions with constructivist elements, integrating his work into modern artistic tendencies. The geometric elements, after the events of 1974, experiment with the human form, adding layers to his painting subjects concerned with existentialism. Votsis represented Cyprus at the 36th Venice Biennale of Art together with four other Cypriot artists.

Natalie Yiaxi is an interdisciplinary artist based in Nicosia, Cyprus. She is a graduate of Coventry School of Art and Design, the Center for Cultural and Media Policy Studies of Warwick University and Camberwell College of Arts in London. She is working around the politics of the everyday and she uses language in order to access the unnoticed and the invisible in the quotidian. She is the co-founder of the artist-run gallery PARTY Contemporary. Yiaxi represented Cyprus at the 55th Venice Biennale of Art in a joint exhibition of Cypriot and Lithuanian artists.