Nicosia, Cyprus. Kastelliotissa mediaeval hall in Nicosia has been transformed into an interactive space with the opening on Monday of the ‘Myths of Cyprus’ exhibition. The exhibition draws on a series of short films produced by the Press and Information Office.
Opening and background
The exhibition was opened by the president’s wife, Philippa Karsera Christodoulides, and continues the ‘Myths of Cyprus’ short film series produced by the Press and Information Office (PIO) and premiered in October 2024. The series has been available on the internet since last year and includes 14 stories from the Cyprus folk tradition, presented on film and using cartoons.
Christodoulides said the exhibition invites visitors into a world in which the legendary co-exists with the familiar, adding that myths “exist to light up truths that are difficult to be told differently” and remain alive by teaching and inspiring. She highlighted the exhibition’s role in bridging the past with the present.
Exhibition features
The central feature of the exhibition is 3D creations and models of mythical figures from Cypriot history and tradition. Visitors can come face to face with figures including Dighenis, Sierolotta, the Kalikantzari and Regina.
Christodoulides said that through village settings, graphic reproductions, three-dimensional creations and the use of visual reality, the narratives gain new life and dynamics, bridging the past with the technological capabilities of the present. She added that in this way young people receive the messages in their own language.
PIO remarks and acknowledgements
PIO director Aliki Stylianou said that in 2023, in seeking a new way to communicate and connect with people, the office turned to mythology. She said they realised it was an inexhaustible source of wisdom, with myths coming from the soul of the people who lived and created in Cyprus.
Stylianou expressed gratitude to PIO staff and others who contributed to the exhibition, including engraver Chambis Tsangaris, who provided a visual form to the traditional Kalikantzari.
What part of the ‘Myths of Cyprus’ exhibition would you be most interested in experiencing?