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“Τhe pretext of painting”: Variations on the Collection of Ivi Meleagrou
An interactive exhibition inviting visitors into the personal art collection of seminal Cypriot author Ivi Meleagrou (1928–2019). Featuring works by key Cypriot artists, alongside prints, reproductions, and embroideries, the collection reflects the author’s deep affinities with her contemporaries and her singular approach to collecting. The exhibition is shaped by an experimental dramaturgy and unfolds through a dynamic process: visitors choose items from a catalogued list to be retrieved, displayed, and taken back into storage, generating an exhibition in constant flux.
All dates
“Τhe pretext of painting”: Variations on the Collection of Ivi Meleagrou
An interactive exhibition inviting visitors into the personal art collection of seminal Cypriot author Ivi Meleagrou (1928–2019). Featuring works by key Cypriot artists, alongside prints, reproductions, and embroideries, the collection reflects the author’s deep affinities with her contemporaries and her singular approach to collecting. The exhibition is shaped by an experimental dramaturgy and unfolds through a dynamic process: visitors choose items from a catalogued list to be retrieved, displayed, and taken back into storage, generating an exhibition in constant flux.
“The pretext of painting”: Variations on the Collection of Ivi Meleagrou invites visitors to explore the personal art collection of seminal Cypriot author, Ivi Meleagrou (1928–2019), once housed in her family home in Agios Andreas, Nicosia. Featuring paintings by key Cypriot artists from the 1960s to the 1980s, together with sculptures, prints, reproductions, and embroideries, the collection reflects Meleagrou’s deep affinities with other artists and intellectuals of her time, while also revealing her highly idiosyncratic relationship to the visual arts and collecting: fluid, non-hierarchical, intuitive, and moving freely across the divide between originals and reproductions. The exhibition is shaped by an experimental dramaturgy and unfolds through a dynamic process: visitors choose works from a catalogued list to be retrieved, displayed, and taken back into the storage station, generating an exhibition in constant flux.
Courtesy of the artist
Courtesy of the artist
The exhibition was conceived through a dialogue between Christodoulos Panayiotou and Androula Kafa of The Island Club, curator Evagoras Vanezis and architect Eleonora Antoniadou, who also supervised the architectural and scenographic design. It is activated by the performative interventions of Ioli Kaskani, Petros Konnaris, Nicola Mitropoulou, Belinda Papavasiliou, Eva Papavasiliou, Elena Savvidou, Melina Sofokleous. Graphic design by Adonis Archontides. The cataloguing of Ivi Meleagrou's collection was carried out by Evagoras Vanezis and Kyriakos Theocharous, while Atelier de Papier - Paraskevi Loizou took care of the cleaning and preventive conservation of the works. The exhibition was made possible thanks to the support of Eleni Meleagrou and the collaboration of Yorgos Taxiarchopoulos, artistic director of the Limassol Municipal Arts Center - Apothikes Papadaki.
With special thanks to Lefteris Papaleontiou for kindly granting the rights to the timeline of Ivi Meleagrou’s life and work, and to Belinda Papavasiliou and Petros Konnaris for their input in developing the performance score. With gratitude to Eleni Meleagrou for her collaboration at every stage of the preparation of the exhibition.
The pretext of painting: Variations on the Collection of Ivi Meleagrou takes place in parallel with The Room of Ivi Meleagrou, a multimedia exhibition built around a virtual reality reconstruction of the author’s private room, presented at the Centre of Performing Arts MITOS.
Ivi Meleagrou
Ivi Meleagrou (Nicosia 1928–2019) stands amongst the most important novelists of Cypriot literature and she is a pioneer in renewing prose writing. She was a founding member and editor-in-chief of the periodical Kypriaka Chronika (1960–1972), collaborated with newspapers, and was also the first announcer of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation. For her novel Eastern Mediterranean (1969) she was awarded the State Prize for Fiction, while its sequel, Penultimate Season, was also distinguished in Cyprus (1982) as well as in Greece (1983). Alongside her literary work, she developed an active political and social engagement as president of the Central Committee of Women’s Organizations after 1974, with a presence in Cyprus and abroad on issues of occupation, displacement, and women’s rights. In 2014, she was honored with the G.P. Pierides Prize for her overall contribution to literature.
Courtesy of the artist
Practical information
Address
Municipal Arts Centre Apothikes Papadaki, Stathis Papadakis Street (deadlock), Limassol, 3036
Accessibility
The space is wheelchair accessible with an accessible toilet.
Dates and times
Sunday October 26 (opening), 11:00 to 18:00; Monday 27, Wednesday 29, Thursday 30 October, 10:00 to 18:00; Friday October 31st, 10:00 to 22:00 (as part of Limassol Art Walks); Saturday 1, Sunday 2 November, 11:00 to 20:00 (as part of Limassol Art Walks); Tuesday 4th November, 10:00 to 18:00; Closed on Tuesday, October 28 and Monday, November 3; Tuesday November 5 to Friday November 22, 10:00 - 18:00; Saturday November 22, 10:00 - 14:00.
Safety
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
EXPERIENCES On board
Immersive exhibition "Présentes
Created with the exceptional collaboration of the Musée du Louvre, this exhibition highlights female figures in Mediterranean civilization, thanks to the digitization and modeling of part of the Louvre's collections. A two-stage experience: an introductory film to provide context, followed by an immersive experience in a 16-meter-long tunnel covered by 120 m2 of LED screens.
A sound journey through the Mediterranean
An immersive sound experience designed by Ircam, inviting the public to explore the richness and diversity of the Mediterranean through headphones equipped with spatialized sound.
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© Elisa Von Brockdorff
The artists
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, the boat is freely accessible on site. However, you can pre-book your time online on our website.
For reasons of safety and preservation of the boat, high heels and stilettos may not be worn on the boat.
The museum boat is open to all free of charge. To find out on which quay it will be moored, or to pre-book your slot, consult the page dedicated to your town.
Appropriate facilities have been set up on the Festival site for the reception and access of people with reduced mobility. The boat is equipped with a 1m-wide ramp, accessible to people with reduced mobility, but may require the accompaniment of a third party due to its gradient of over 6%. Access to the aft deck and immersive exhibition is possible. However, the upper deck is not accessible. Please inform us in advance of any special accessibility requirements, so that we can make the necessary arrangements.