8′ 20’’ / Vera Gavrielidou Hadjida
Curatorial team: Maria Leonidou, Ioulita Toumazi, AnnaMaria Charalambous
Interviews: Andria Avgousti
Texts: Ioulita Toumazi
Graphics: Popi Pissouriou
The exhibition 8΄20”: Vera Gavrielidou Hadjida, organised by ‘The Lefteris Economou Foundation’ opens its doors on the 24th of October 2022 at Garage art space. It is the final part of a trilogy of exhibitions dedicated to shedding light on the works and the histories of female Cypriot artists, born in the beginning of the 20th century (1910s, 1920s and 1930s respectively).*
This exhibition will showcase paintings and drawings by Vera Gavrielidou-Hadjida (1936-2012), whose work is an indelible part of the Cypriot art history – a history which this exhibition wants to challenge. A selection of her artworks will be exhibited, centering around her works from the 70s and 80s, which are strongly inspired by European art movements such as surrealism and constructivism. Vera’s work is impressively diverse and rich in experimentation, exploring various artistic genres and philosophies, ranging from geometry to abstract expressionism.
Even though Vera is most renowned for her geometrical paintings, she has an extensive collection of works with enigmatic and almost mystical elements, that could be defined as magical realist paintings. This genre is observed to bloom out of periods of hardship, often in colonized countries, and was often utilized and advanced by female artists from various contexts. This connection speaks volumes about the importance of Vera’s work, both for the art theory of the island, but also for the women in Cyprus whose lineage is finally being claimed.
This exhibition is an invitation to dive into Vera’s vivid landscapes. Landscapes that sometimes manifest as dreamscapes, deconstructed plan-views of cities, abstract geometrical shapes of what was, or what could be – with celestial bodies/ suns being repeated throughout.
P.S. 8΄20” is the distance in light-minutes between the earth and the sun.
*The first exhibition of the trilogy was ‘Loukia Nikolaidou: stories’ [1909 – 1994] and the second one ‘The sculptress: Pavlina Pavlidou’ [1924-1990].
Brief CV
Vera Gavrielidou Hadjida (1936 – 2012) was born and raised in Nicosia. She followed painting and interior design courses at the Kingston School of Art in London (1957-1960). Upon her return to Cyprus in 1960, she worked in secondary education and was simultaneously active in the art scene of the country, participating in group shows both in Cyprus and abroad. She presented her first solo exhibition in 1962 at the Trust’s Youth Club in Nicosia, followed by seven more solo shows. Her work has been presented in many group shows in Cyprus and abroad, including the Biennale for Young Artists from the Mediterranean, Paris (1967), Sao Paolo Biennale (1969), Exhibition of Contemporary Cypriot Painting – Demetria ’79, Thessaloniki (1979), Group show of Female Painters, Nicosia (1985), Art Athina 2, Athens (1994) and all the pancyprian exhibitions of E.KA.TE (The Cyprus Chamber of Fine Arts). She designed the sets for several theatrical productions.
