The triplets and the dragon of the apple tree

Technopolis 20 will host the printmaker Hambis Tsangaris, who will present his new book “The triplets and the dragon of the apple tree”, on Thursday, May 19 at 7:30pm.

“The triplets and the dragon of the apple tree” is a Cypriot tale of Lambros Polykarpou, illustrated by Hambis. The book is written in the Cyprus dialect, accompanied by a Greek glossary and it is translated into English, Russian and French. It consists of 88 pages with rich and original illustrations. The book is dedicated to the memory of Lambros Polykarpou, who wrote the story as he remembered it from his grandfather.

The printmaker Hambis, spent three and a half years of work for this illustration, that comes as a continuation of his previous books, all awarded with state awards, and further enrich the art of illustration in Cyprus.

The presentation will begin with a short film by Christos Agiomamitis (excerpts from larger documentary) dedicated to the writer, entitled “Lambros Polykarpou – Snapshots of a hard life as a fairy tale”. Then, Hambis will present the book revealing unkown aspects of the illustration process, through a presentation, entitled “The uknown paths of the triplets”.

A few words about Hambis Tsangaris
He was born in the village of Kontea in 1947. He had his first printmaking classes with the Greek printmaker A. Tassos in Athens (1971) and studies Graphic Arts at the Sourikov Institute of Moscow (1976 – 1982). He has set as the main objective of his art, which he always follows faithfully, the expression of his country, its history, torments, joys, beauty, and folklore. He conceived and published the following books: “Spanos and the Forty Dragons” (1986), “The Prince of Venice” (1994), “Hambis - 25 Years of printmaking” (1995), “The Fey Enchantress” (1999), “The Kalikangiari and the Game” (2005), “Kalikangiari - Cypriot Tales” (2006), “Kalikangiari - Tales in the Cypriot dialect” (2007), “The triplets and the dragon of the apple tree” (2015). He illustrated several books by Cypriot writers.
Awards: Honourable Award at the Bratislava Biennale of Illustrations (BIB), 1987, for his book Spanos and the Forty Dragons; Certificate of Honour for Illustration from the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) 1988; Three State Awards for Illustration and one State Award for Essay in Cyprus.
Every year, since 1995, he offers free lessons in the art of printmaking to anyone who is interested, in memory of his great tutor, A. Tassos. In 2008, he founded the Hambis Printmaking Museum, which projects prints from many countries, dating back in the 16th century and onwards.
He has works at Pushkin Museum in Moscow, in Art Museums and Foundations, public and private collections in several countries. He participated in several group exhibitions, international Biennales and Triennales and he had personal exhibitions in Cyprus and abroad, such as Moscow, Titograd, Athens, Kozani, Ljubljana, London, Paris, Edinburgh, Mexico City, New York. He gave lectures in Universities in Cyprus, US, Mexico, Greece etc.

A few words about Lambros Polykarpou
Lambros Polykarpou (1924 - 2015)comes from the village Prastion, Avdimou and he was born in 1924. He was a Veteran Soldier of the World War II. He is married to Claire and had three sons, nine grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. Twelve years ago, he met Hambis and later the cinematographer Christos Agiomamitis.
He gives an advice to all young people around the world, regardless of colour or religion: don't do something you wouldn't want done to you.