Cyprus will participate in the 58th Art Biennale in Venice with a posthumous exhibition by Christoforos Savva, fifty years after his death.
Savva who was born in 1924 in Marathovounos, was one of six artists who represented Cyprus in its first participation in the Art Biennale as an independent state and died only weeks after the grand opening of his exhibition.
Italian curator and art historian, Jacopo Crivelli Visconti who was appointed by the Ministry of Education and Culture to head Cyprus’ participation in the Biennale said that “The return of Savvas’ work in Venice, 50 years after his premature death is on one hand, a tribute to a pioneer of Cypriot art, and on the other hand, a chance to research the image that Cyprus wanted to promote to the international art community at the time.”
Visconti said that the exhibition will include works from different periods of Savva’s career. “Starting from the landscapes from the early years, the exhibition will focus on his work that was never presented outside of Cyprus like his abstract work, his textiles and his cement reliefs and will conclude with his innovative reliefs with pinches that were shown in the first Cypriot mission in Venice.”
In addition to Savva’s work, the Cypriot delegation will present material about his life and his role in establishing modern art in Cyprus.
The Cypriot Pavilion in Venice is a cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Point Centre for Contemporary Art.
The 58th edition of the Art Biennale will take place between May 24 – November 11 2019.
A retrospective exhibition will take place in Cyprus, before the delegation leaves for Venice.
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