The countdown for ceremonial performances, awards, exhibition openings and events has begun
Happening on October 11th – 15th
With artworks from all around the world in place, installations complete and performances ready to whisk visitors away on a journey across the many meanings of ‘home’, Larnaca Biennale is all set for its 3rd edition. A curated programme of events and exhibitions under this year’s theme ‘Home Away from Home’ will captivate the town for almost seven weeks and the curtain is about to be lifted.
“With the opening day of the Larnaca Biennale fast approaching,” says Vassilis Vassiliades, Artistic Director of Larnaca Biennale, “the hundreds of pieces that make up this event, begin to take their place in the mesmerizing kaleidoscopic mosaic that is slowly being completed as people from all over the world add their own special artistic touch to it.
“As always, through expected challenges and pleasant surprises, Larnaca Biennale is gearing up for the grand premiere on the 11th of October. Dedication to the goal with selflessness remains the golden recipe for its upward journey.”
Opening day events
The opening of Larnaca Biennale 2023 is set to take place on Wednesday, October 11th and in the spirit of this inauguration, it begins with a ritual that the public is invited to attend. Artist Beth Krensky (USA), a selected artist of the main exhibition, will present her performance as a pre-opening ceremonial performance on the day to mark the occasion.
Krensky, the organisers and the public will meet at the Salt Lake at 18:00 on Wednesday 11th to embark on a symbolic walk titled Make Me a Sanctuary. Walking in silence, the participatory performance event will invite those attending to remember their past and current homes as a homage to the 2023 theme, setting the mood for the month.
“Beth Krensky’s performance revolves around traversing a path with an unknown route or destination,” notes the exhibition catalogue. “The work serves as both a ritual and a metaphor for movement, evoking the presence of benevolent spirits and opening the portal of home.”
The procession will pass by the Biennale’s exhibition spaces and conclude at the Larnaca Municipal Gallery around 19:30 where the official opening will be held. Welcoming speeches and addresses by the Larnaca Biennale committee and official bodies will take place before the Awards Ceremony celebrates the winning artist-participants of this edition.
Twelve (12) awards in total will be given by the Jury Committee:
- The Grand Prix
- Three awards of Excellence
- Six awards for finalists
- ‘Artist of the World’ award, by WAVA World Association of Visual Arts
- ‘Artist of the Mediterranean’ award, by WAVA World Association of Visual Arts
On the opening day, all of the exhibition spaces that house the Biennale’s main showcase will be open from 19:30 to 21:00. Locations: Municipal Art Gallery, Pierides Museum, Larnaca Castle, EVOHK artist-run space, Larnaca Municipal Market and The Living Room.
Events of the Opening Week
On Thursday, October 12th one performance and two screenings will take place in Larnaca as part of the main exhibition of the Biennale. First will be Aine Nakamura’s afternoon performance at Zouhouri Square titled Silkworm which will last from 17:00 to 17:30. In the performance the artist weaves together the stories of silkworms and delicate fabrics. Drawing from her experiences growing up in two countries, Japan and the USA, she explores the notion of home as a transnational individual and the cultural challenges one encounters.
Two short film screenings will follow at The Living Room at 20:00 with Q&A sessions with the creators. Yaroslava Krutova’s film ‘When Tomato Becomes a Piece of Cake’ will be screened first. It traces Yaroslava’s displacement journey, from leaving Ukraine to adjusting in the Netherlands, gripping onto a sense of home and identity.
Marina Dumont-Anastassiadou’s film ‘Invisibility & Reality’ takes a raw look at life plagued by the challenges of our environment. While forest fires in Greece and floods in Germany take place, two women seek connection in times of crisis. How does one maintain a ‘home’ in a world constantly threatened by looming disasters?
Entrance to all performances and screenings is free. Guests are to reserve a place for the screenings as limited seats are available. Bookings: www.biennalelarnaca.com/event/open-screenings
Parallel Exhibitions
The two side exhibitions of Larnaca Biennale will also open in the second week of October. The mixed media exhibition ‘To the Sea, with Her Names’ curated by Shaoan Huang will open on October 13th in Athienou (Kallinikeio Municipal Museum) featuring the works of six Asian artists. It arrives after the completion of an artistic residency where the artists worked alongside Cypriot craftsmen to produce blended pieces of art. The exhibition will conclude on November 20th. Opening hours are Monday – Friday: 8:00 -15:00.
The curator’s exhibition titled Home/Hope will run at Apothikes 79, Larnaca from October 14th to November 24th. 30 international artists handpicked by the 2023 curator, Yev Kravt, will showcase their work that intertwines the concept of ‘home’ with a sense of hope – diverse meanings in two words that are only differentiated by one single letter.
What will follow
As the next five themed weeks unfold, the Biennale will approach the theme ‘Home Away from Home’ through different angles – Psychology, Environment, Architecture & Design, Philosophy & Spirituality and Space & Technology.
In each week, performances and parallel events have been selected to take place that fit the theme of each one. Visitors can expect to dive deep into the 2023 topic by joining curated events that focus on the ideology that ‘home’ holds whilst also witnessing visual productions and artistic proposals.
The first themed week focuses on the psychological aspects of ‘home’ where the public can partake in a lecture series, two journaling workshops (in English and Greek) and three contemporary dance performances that focus on identity, belonging and roots.
Special announcements will be shared each week with a detailed overview of parallel events and the performances of the main exhibition.
In closing, Vassilis Vassiliades says: “Art may not solve social problems, but it acts as a counterbalance to the mass decline we experience and multiplies beauty in the troubled societies we live in. It is time to lift the curtain.”
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For more information, please visit our official web page www.biennalelarnaca.com
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For additional information, interview requests or hi-res images, please contact our Press Office: press@biennalelarnaca.com or tel. +357 99 403 010
A big thank you to all supporters & sponsors this year
Organiser:
ARTION Cultural Association of Larnaca
Main Sponsors:
Deputy Ministry of Culture, Larnaka Municipality
Gold Sponsors:
Società Dante Alighieri Comitato di Cipro, Sphere Partners, Opap Cyprus
Main Supporters:
Wonderdots Ltd, Cyprus Handicrafts Center, E.KA.TE. The Cyprus Chamber of Fine Arts
Official Air Carrier:
Cyprus Airways
Media Sponsors:
Alpha Cyprus, CYBC, MixFm
Silver Sponsors:
Kypros Economides Enterprises Ltd
Petrolina Ltd
Embassy of Israel in Cyprus
Partners:
Pierides Museum Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation
Athienou Municipality
WAVA World Association of Visual Arts
Bronze Sponsors:
P&P Financial Services
ICSAH (International Center for Arts and Humanities)
Meridian Trust – Corporate & Fiduciary Services Lim
GrantXpert
Harris Kyriakides LLC
iTaxi
Hospitality Sponsors:
Liv Collection
Opera Hotel
Food and Beverage Sponsors:
Ammos Beach Bar
Cuckoo Rooftop
Kleidi Bar
Lazaris Bakery Bar
Old Market St.
Paul’s Coffee Roasters
Stou Rousia Tavern
Savino Rock Bar
Supporters:
Youth Board of Cyprus
Youth Makerspace Larnaka
Λαrnαkα 2030 European Capital of Culture Candidate City
Cyprus Public Transport
Once in a Blue Moon
Hermes Airports
Larnaka Tourism Board
Larnaca Act
Chr. Larcou & Associates LLC
MV Design Lab
Boutique Productions
Werx Studio
EVOHK artist-run space
Media Supporters:
Black Lemon Tv
L’Officiel Cyprus