New ideas by Stavros X. Petrou / Interspace / Presentation

This work of art is justifiably called “New ideas”, as it manages to combine three separate /autonomous / independent aspects of Cypriot tradition in one. On the one hand, the aspect of Cypriot traditional costume that a man wears and on the other hand, the art of embroidery in Lefkara village under the umbrella of Cypriot basketry. The choice of this style was not accidental. This style has been chosen intentionally, as the artist was born in a community of Limassol which is inseparably connected to basketry, so that he has been in touch with that art from a very early age. The present creation opens a new section in the field of visual arts not only for the Cypriot but also for the world conditions, since there was a combination of different arts so that a new one was created.

The first stage of this work of art was in 2014, when the idea began to be investigated, under the supervision of the artist Lefteri Eleftheriou. The work of art was awarded from the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus in the category "Modern meeting with tradition", while its photograph is an exhibit at the Cyprus Folk Art Museum. The art exhibition of Stavros X. Petrou in February 2016, in which the "first version" of this work of art was the central exhibit, was honored with the "Andrea and Mary Ladommatos" Culture Prize. The second and enriched version was officially presented for the first time at the "Wisdom, Art and Tradition" Festival at the University of Cyprus in April 2017.

Talking about his work the artist says:
“I would like to point out that my purpose is to present the multidimensional character of the Cypriot tradition and to approach it with a different perspective. I aim to pass the message that our tradition and our culture in general should not be museum exhibits, but they should be a reference point in our future effort to get out of the labyrinth that we are today!”

On Wednesday, 7th of June at 8:00 pm at the Dancehouse Lefkosia, there will be a presentation of the work of art, of the creative process, as well as of the research that preceded it.