Nicosia, Cyprus. A new exhibition opened Friday at the Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre amid political criticism from the Ecologists over the participation of Turkish Cypriot artist Emin Cizenel. The party said his inclusion carries political significance beyond his artistic work.
Exhibition opening
The exhibition, A Slight Indisposition, brings together 16 emerging and established contemporary artists from Cyprus and abroad.
Political objections
In a statement issued hours before the exhibition opened, the Ecologists said Cizenel is known “not only for his artistic career, but also as the creator of the flag of the pseudo-state”, describing it as “a symbol of the Turkish occupation and partition of Cyprus.”
While recognising that “art is certainly a space for freedom of expression and creation”, the party said organisers must also consider “the political and social dimensions of their choices” when inviting artists associated with symbols “associated with the island’s partition.”
The party also said that “historical memory and sensitivity towards the events that continue to affect the present and future of Cyprus cannot be set aside in the name of a supposedly neutral cultural approach.”
Artist background
Cizenel, originally from the village of Malia in Limassol, studied painting at the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts before continuing his education in Vienna.
He is recognised as the designer of the flag adopted by the occupied north, which has been emblazoned on the Pentadakytlos mountain range since the early 1980s.