Cycladic Arts July 2024 Open Studios:
Sunday, July 28, 2024, 20:00
Sharing the works of: Rola Nashef, Jessica Snow and Kate Temple.

Live traditional music by Skiadas Arsenis, Sophia Kontaratou and Markos Kydoniefs will follow the studio visits.

Κυριακή, 28 Ιουλίου 2024, στις 20:00
Ελάτε να γνωρίσετε τις καλλιτέχνιδες του Ιουλίου: Rola Nashef, Jessica Snow και Kate Temple.

Ζωντανή παραδοσιακή μουσική από τους: Σκιαδά Αρσένη, Σοφία Κονταράτου, Μάρκο Κυδωνιέα.

Join us on Tuesday, July 30, at 9pm and watch the awarded film from Rola Nashef Detroit Unleaded, 2014 (1:31:54) and the short experimental film by Jessica Snow and Paul Morrill, More than Once, Upon a Time, 2022 (14").

All events are free and open to the public ❤

Echoes of Archilochus
text by Kostas Prapoglou


In the words of ancient Greek lyric poet Archilochus, we find a spirit unbound by convention, a voice that echoes through the passage of time, urging us to embrace the raw and the real.

Born in Paros during the Archaic period (ca. 680 - ca. 645 BC) and, although all available sources are extremely fragmentary, Archilochus is said to be the earliest known Greek author to compose almost entirely on the theme of his own passions and experiences.

He was a poet-warrior, whose verses cut through the facade of heroism and exposed the intuitive truth of the human condition. Exploring themes of love, loss, conflict, and joy, his honesty surfaced as his weapon, and his art as a shield against the mediocrity of the mundane.

Archilochus was not just any poet; he was an architect of emotion, a sculptor of human wisdom. This exhibition engulfs his fearless authenticity. His fierce independence and relentless pursuit of veracity will guide and help us strive to unveil the hidden layers of our world; to challenge and provoke the stagnant. In line with his poetry and personality, all works on view will be imprints of a noetic battlefield, and each medium a weapon of insight.
Dialogues emerge interconnecting the past and the future, transcending time. Archilochus' writings join us like a voice from the distant past that bridge millennia and countless generations. He taught us that vulnerability is not weakness, but a profound source of strength. With his laments and satires he reveals the power of exposing our inner turmoil, questioning societal norms.

In the spirit of Archilochus, the exhibition unveils a universal resonance reverberating passion and defiance. It breaks free from the constraints of tradition and explores the uncharted territories of inspiration and imagination. All works on view tell the stories that are yet to be told, illuminating the shadows that linger at the edges of our perception.

The legacy of Archilochus ignites a creative flame. His daring and his devotion to truth influence all participating artists to push boundaries, to question, to provoke, and to transform. Within the echoes of his ancient words, we discover the timeless call to create with affection, courage and vision.

The works of 22 artists exhibited at the spaces of the Cycladic Arts Centre resonate with the distinctive psyche of antiquity, allowing us to trace in this legacy the inspiration to forge our own path in the ever-evolving world of contemporary art. This soon becomes a living testament to the resilience and beauty of the human force.

Honouring our cultural heritage, the exhibition conceals a sense of continuity, preserving the essence of ancient wisdom while reinterpreting it for today’s audiences. The timelessness quality of Archilochus’ poetry continues to stimulate us with the depth of the vocabulary of contemporary art. It enriches the artistic landscape simultaneously ensuring that the voices of the past are still heard in the present and the future.


Αρχιλόχου αντηχήσεις
κείμενο Κώστας Πράπογλου

Στις λέξεις του αρχαίου Έλληνα λυρικού ποιητή Αρχίλοχου, εντοπίζουμε ένα πνεύμα αδέσμευτο από συμβάσεις, μια φωνή που διαπερνά το πέρασμα του χρόνου, προτρέποντάς μας να αγκαλιάσουμε το ακατέργαστο και το πραγματικό.

Γεννημένος στην Πάρο κατά την αρχαϊκή περίοδο (ca. 680 - ca. 645 π.Χ.) και παρόλο που όλες οι διαθέσιμες πηγές είναι εξαιρετικά αποσπασματικές, ο Αρχίλοχος λέγεται ότι είναι ο αρχαιότερος γνωστός Έλληνας συγγραφέας που εμπνεόταν σχεδόν εξ ολοκλήρου από τα προσωπικά του πάθη και εμπειρίες.

Υπήρξε ένας ποιητής-πολεμιστής, του οποίου οι στίχοι διαπερνούσαν το προσωπείο του ηρωισμού και έφεραν στην επιφάνεια τη διαισθητική αλήθεια της ανθρώπινης κατάστασης. Διερευνώντας θέματα αγάπης, απώλειας, σύγκρουσης και χαράς, η ειλικρίνειά του αναδύεται ως προσωπικό του όπλο και η τέχνη του ως ασπίδα ενάντια στη μετριότητα της πεζότητας.

Ο Αρχίλοχος δεν ήταν ένας οποιοσδήποτε ποιητής. Υπήρξε αρχιτέκτονας του συναισθήματος, γλύπτης της ανθρώπινης σοφίας. Αυτή η έκθεση εγκιβωτίζει την ατρόμητη αυθεντικότητά του. Η απεριόριστη ανεξαρτησία και η αδιάκοπη επιδίωξή του για ειλικρίνεια θα μας καθοδηγήσουν και θα μας βοηθήσουν να αποκαλύψουμε τις κρυμμένες διαστρωματώσεις του κόσμου μας· να προκαλέσουμε και να αναμετρηθούμε με τη στασιμότητα.

Σύμφωνα με την ποίηση και την προσωπικότητά του, όλα τα έργα που εκτίθενται σε αυτήν την έκθεση είναι αποτυπώματα ενός νοερού πεδίου μάχης και κάθε μέσο που χρησιμοποιήθηκε για τη δημιουργία τους αποτελεί ένα εργαλείο ενδοσκόπησης.

Οι διάλογοι που αδιάλειπτα αναπτύσσονται, διασυνδέουν το παρελθόν με το μέλλον, υπερβαίνοντας τον χρόνο. Τα γραπτά του Αρχίλοχου ενώνονται μαζί μας σαν μια φωνή από το μακρινό παρελθόν που γεφυρώνει χιλιετίες και αμέτρητες γενεές. Μας δίδαξε ότι η ευαλωτότητα δεν είναι αδυναμία, αλλά μια βαθύτερη πηγή δύναμης. Με τα γεμάτα συναισθηματισμό λόγια και τις σάτιρές του αποκαλύπτει τη δύναμη μιας εσωτερικής αναταραχής, αμφισβητώντας τις όποιες κοινωνικές νόρμες.

Μέσα από το πνεύμα του Αρχίλοχου, η έκθεση αποκαλύπτει μια καθολική συνθήκη που αντηχεί το πάθος και το σθένος. Απελευθερώνεται από τους περιορισμούς της παράδοσης και εξερευνά τις αχαρτογράφητες περιοχές της έμπνευσης και της φαντασίας. Όλα τα έργα που εκτίθενται αφηγούνται ιστορίες που δεν έχουν ακόμη ειπωθεί, ρίχνοντας φως στις σκιές που παραμένουν κρυμμένες στις παρυφές της αντίληψής μας.

Η κληρονομιά του Αρχίλοχου πυροδοτεί μια φλόγα δημιουργικότητας. Η τόλμη και η αφοσίωσή του στην αλήθεια ωθούν όλους τους συμμετέχοντες καλλιτέχνες και συμμετέχουσες καλλιτέχνιδες να ξεπεράσουν τα όρια, να αμφισβητήσουν, να προκαλέσουν και να μεταμορφωθούν. Μέσα στον απόηχο των αρχαίων λόγων του, ανακαλύπτουμε το διαχρονικό κάλεσμα για δημιουργία με στοργή, θάρρος και όραμα.

Τα έργα 22 καλλιτεχνών που παρουσιάζονται στους χώρους του Cycladic Arts Center αντανακλούν το μοναδικό ψυχισμό της αρχαιότητας, επιτρέποντάς μας να εντοπίσουμε σε αυτήν την κληρονομιά την έμπνευση να χαράξουμε τη δική μας πορεία στον διαρκώς εξελισσόμενο κόσμο της τέχνης. Αυτό σύντομα μετατρέπεται σε μια ζωντανή απόδειξη της ανθεκτικότητας και της ομορφιάς της ανθρώπινης δύναμης.

Τιμώντας την πολιτιστική μας κληρονομιά, η έκθεση εγκυμονεί μια αίσθηση συνέχειας, διατηρώντας την ουσία της αρχαίας σοφίας και επαναπροσδιορίζοντάς την για το σημερινό κοινό. Η διαχρονική ποιότητα της ποίησης του Αρχίλοχου συνεχίζει να μας διεγείρει με το βάθος του λεξιλογίου της σύγχρονης τέχνης. Εμπλουτίζει ταυτόχρονα το καλλιτεχνικό τοπίο διασφαλίζοντας ότι οι φωνές του παρελθόντος εξακολουθούν να ακούγονται στο παρόν και στο μέλλον.

July 1-15, 2024
Works on site with University of California, Berkeley, Department of Art Practice & Berkeley Center for New Media.

Presentation of the class's projects: July 13, 2024, 20:00


Συνεργασία με το Τμήμα Καλών Τεχνών και Νέων Μέσων του Πανεπιστημίου Μπέρκλευ της Καλιφόρνια:
Εργαστήρια για παραγωγή έργων ιν σίτου και παρουσίασή τους στις 13 Ιουλίου 2024, στις 20:00.

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The first selected Cycladic Arts Fellow is Daria Koltsova, Ukraine. Congratulations!!!
Thank you all who applied! The selection of only one person was not easy.

Νικήτρια για την πρώτη μας υποτροφία είναι η Daria Koltsova απο την Ουκρανία. Συγχαρητήρια!!! Η επιλογή ενός/μίας μόνο υποτρόφου δεν ήταν καθόλου εύκολη.

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ARE YOU A SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAN ARTIST?

Torrance Art Museum, in Torrance, California, is sponsoring one artist based in the Southern California area each year. Applications for 2024 sponsorship were accepted at Torrance Art Museum website. Deadline to Apply was May 31, 2024. A committee from TAM will soon select the successful applicant.

2023 successful applicant: Steven Wolkoff

Please visit the interactive Archilochus tour map and see Steven Worlkoff's work in progress inspired by the Archilochus Poetry.

More about the poet: Archilochus (/ɑːrˈkɪləkəs/; Greek: Ἀρχίλοχος Arkhílokhos; c. 680 – c. 645 BC) was a Greek lyric poet of the Archaic period from the island of Paros. He is celebrated for his versatile and innovative use of poetic meters, and is the earliest known Greek author to compose almost entirely on the theme of his own emotions and experiences (source: Wikipedia)

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Cycladic Arts Facilities are available for the months of December, January and February. Please send us an email at Dimitra Skandali, the coordinator of the Program to discuss about options.
Artists who live on Paros: email us for the use of the studio during those months.

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Οι εγκαταστάσεις μας διατίθενται κατά τους μήνες: Δεκέμβριος, Ιανουάριος και Φεβρουάριος. Αν ενδιαφέρεστε, παρακαλούμε στείλτε email στην Δήμητρα Σκανδάλη, συντονίστρια του προγράμματος.

Καλλιτέχνες που μένουν στο νησί: επικοινωνήστε μαζί μας για παραχώρηση του στούντιο στους παραπάνω μήνες.

2024 Cycladic Arts Residency season is closed. Applications for 2025 season is now open.


UPDATES FOR OUR RESIDENCY PROGRAM:
We are very happy to announce our successful applicants!
CONGRATULATIONS to all!!!


Erika DeFreitas –Canada (March 2024)
Carmen Roman Mallen -Australia (March 2024)
Tessa Holmes -USA (March 2024)
Helen Karanika -Canada (April 2024)
Kristie Hansen -USA (April 2024)
Pasquale Verdicchio –USA (April 2024)
Lene Ehlers -South Africa (May 2024)
Maureen Vastardis -USA (May 2024)
Sally Craven –Australia (June 2024)
Barbara E Cohen –USA (June 2024)
Stephanie O'Connor -USA (June 2024)
Rola Nashef -USA (July 2024)
Kate Temple -USA (July 2024)
Jessica Snow –USA (July 2024)
Sarah Hudson -Australia (August 2024)
Lauren Stegeman –USA (August 2024)
Amelie Laurice –USA (August 2024)
Mackenna Overholt -USA (September 2024)
Southern Californian Artist Sponsored by Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA -USA (September 2024)
Artist/writer sent by AAC curatorial Platform, Rome, Italy (October 2024)
Margaret Dix -Australia (October 2024)
Mike Edwards -United Kingdom (October 2024)
Nina Elder -USA (November 2024)
Bradley Wester –USA (November 2024)
Meg Shiffler -USA (November 2024)

First Cycladic Arts Fellowship: Daria Koltsova -Ukraine (March 2025)
Zoe Lewis -USA (April 2025)
Maren Salomon -USA (April 2025)
Elena Devers -USA (May 2025)
Allison Krupp -Germany (May 2025)
Jan Blythe -USA (May 2025)
Stevie Love –USA (June 2025)
Kayla Kurin -Canada (June 2025)
Claire Thorson -USA (June 2025)
Judi Pettite -USA (July 2025)
Olga Dimoliati -Austria (July 2025)
Livia Stein -USA (July 2025)
Nell Breyer -USA (August 2025)
Pippa Charlesworth -United Kingdom (August 2025)
Koi Ren -USA (September 2025)
Southern Californian Artist Sponsored by Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA -USA (September 2025)
Lauren Colbert -USA (September 2025)
Michele de la Menardiere -USA (October 2025)
Phil Robinson –USA (November 2025)
Dani Tull -USA (2025)


Emerging and established artists, and other creative minds from all over the world are invited to apply for the Cycladic Arts Residency. Curators, writers, poets, translators, scientists wishing to find a place for retreat or to focus on their projects are also encouraged to apply. Applications are open year round and they can be written in Greek or English.

In collaboration with Anagennisi Publications:
An evening dedicated to Dimitris Calandranis and his books, on June 30, 2024 at 20:00
Presenters: Maria Arkouli, Aristidis Varrias, Anna Kagani, Moschoula Kontostavlou

Συνδιοργάνωση με τις Εκδόσεις Αναγέννηση:
Αφιέρωμα στον Δημήτρη Καλανδράνη, την Κυριακή 30/6/24, στις 20:00
Παρουσιάζουν (αλφαβητικά): Μαρία Αρκουλή, Αριστείδης Βαρριάς, Άννα Κάγκανη, Μοσχούλα Κοντοσταύλου.

Cycladic Arts is delighted to invite you in our katoikia on Friday, April 26, 2024 at 20:00 to watch:

The Perfect Meal, 2023, 72'
Directed by Alexandros Merkouris

It is no secret that our diet has a positive or negative effect on our body. And many of us know that the Mediterranean Diet - consisting of plant foods such as vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes and fruits, with little or no animal products - is good for our health. But few of us know how certain plants affect different parts of our bodies, and how the foods we eat can act as medicines if used correctly.

The Perfect Meal explores the latest science behind the Mediterranean diet, looking at groundbreaking research that seeks to understand why and how certain food combinations can prevent heart disease, cancer, obesity and brain aging.

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Το κέντρο μας είναι στην ευχάριστη θέση να σας προσκαλέσει την Παρασκευή 26 Απριλίου στις 20:00 στην κατοικιά μας να παρακολουθήσετε το ντοκυμαντέρ:

Το τέλειο γεύμα, 2023, 72'
Σκηνοθεσία: Αλέξανδρος Μερκούρης

Δεν είναι μυστικό ότι η διατροφή μας έχει θετική ή αρνητική επίδραση στο σώμα μας. Και πολλοί από εμάς γνωρίζουμε ότι η Μεσογειακή Διατροφή - που αποτελείται από φυτικές τροφές όπως λαχανικά, δημητριακά, ξηρούς καρπούς, όσπρια και φρούτα, με λίγα ή καθόλου ζωικά προϊόντα - είναι καλή για την υγεία μας. Αλλά λίγοι από εμάς γνωρίζουν πώς συγκεκριμένα φυτά επηρεάζουν διάφορα μέρη του σώματός μας, αλλά και πώς τα τρόφιμα που τρώμε μπορούν να λειτουργήσουν ως φάρμακα, αν χρησιμοποιηθούν σωστά.

Το τέλειο γεύμα εξερευνά την πιο πρόσφατη επιστήμη πίσω από τη μεσογειακή διατροφή, εξετάζοντας την πρωτοποριακή έρευνα που προσπαθεί να κατανοήσει γιατί και πώς ορισμένοι συνδυασμοί τροφίμων μπορούν να αποτρέψουν τις καρδιακές παθήσεις, τον καρκίνο, την παχυσαρκία και τη γήρανση του εγκεφάλου.

Cycladic Arts and Ai Mnimai are delighted to invite you in our katoikia to watch four movies showing beloved people who are telling their stories to us. Thank you Ai mnimai: Konstantinos Nikas, Konstantinos Mavris and Nikos Skandalis for this beautiful project!

What is Ai Mnimai:
Project Mnimai (Memories) is an attempt of creating a virtual record, with the use of audiovisual means, of an era that tends to go extinct. An era of people that lived a different sort of life and used to practice several types of occupations that aren't practiced anymore.

Founders/Members: Konstantinos Nikas, Konstantinos Mavris, Nikos Skandalis.

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To κέντρο μας και η ομάδα Αί Μνῆμαι σας προσκαλούν σε μια σειρά προβολών για τις ζωές αγαπημένων συγχωριανών μας. Αυτό το Σαββατοκύριακο 23 και 24/3/24, στις 19:00, στην κατοικιά της κυρά Μοσχούς και του καπετάν Κωνταντή στην Αλυκή.

To project Αί Μνῆμαι, είναι μια προσπάθεια καταγραφής, με την χρήση οπτικοακουστικών μέσων, των ανθρώπων μεγάλης ηλικίας οι οποίοι μπορεί να εξασκούν/εξασκούσαν επαγγέλματα τα οποία τείνουν να εκλείψουν καθώς. και των ιστοριών τους που καλύπτουν ένα ευρύ λαογραφικό φάσμα εμπειριών αλλά και των γλωσσικών τους ιδιωμάτων.

Μια προσπάθεια δημιουργίας ενός οπτικοακουστικού αρχείου με σκοπό την διατήρηση της Πολιτιστικής Κληρονομιάς του τόπου μας.

Ιδρυτές/Μέλη: Κωνσταντίνος Νίκας, Κωνσταντίνος Μαύρης, Νίκος Σκανδάλης.

We are super excited to share these awarded documentaries with you!

Thank you Cyclades Preservation Fund -CPF, CineDoc - Greece, CineDoc Island, Anemon productions and The Hellenic Initiative for allowing us to be part of the movement "From Movies to Cyclades"

Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 19:00, ALL THAT BREATHES
Directed by Shaunak Sen | 2022 | 94’

Monday, December 4, 2023, at 19:00, INHABIT
Directed by Costa Boutsikaris | 2015 | 92’

Entrance is free and open to the public.

Saturday, December 16, 2023, 19:00
Σάββατο, 16 Δεκεμβρη 2023, 19:00

Της κακομοίρας (γνωστή και ως Ο μπακαλόγατος) είναι μια ελληνική κωμική ταινία παραγωγής του 1963, σε σενάριο και σκηνοθεσία Ντίνου Κατσουρίδη. Το σενάριο βασίστηκε στο ομώνυμο θεατρικό έργο των Χρήστου και Γιώργου Γιαννακόπουλου.

Πρωταγωνιστούν οι Κώστας Χατζηχρήστος, Κώστας Δούκας, Νίκος Ρίζος και Μαρίκα Νέζερ.

Σκηνοθεσία - Σενάριο: Ντίνος Κατσουρίδης

Είσοδος Eλεύθερη.

Tis kakomoiras
Release date: June 18, 1963 (Greece)
Directed and screenplay by Dinos Katsouridis

A grocery store owner and his assistant fall in love with their neighbour. However, they get a shock when they find out about the girl's love interest.

(no English subtitles)

Free Entrance

2023 Cycladic Arts Exhibitions Schedule:
Visiting hours: Daily except Tuesday, 19:30-22:00

August 5 - September 30, 2023.
What We Learn from Land and Sea - Τί μαθαίνουμε από στεριές και θάλασσες, curated by Jurriaan Benschop

Participating artists: Nikos Aslanidis, Greece, Béatrice Dreux, Austria, Kati Roover, Finland, Sean Scully, Ireland/NY, Maria Spyraki, Greece.

Opening 5 August, 8:00 p.m.
Exhibition period: 5 August – 30 September, 2023
Visiting hours daily 7:30–10:00 p.m. (except Tuesday)

What We Learn from Land and Sea opens on August 5, 2023, at Cycladic Arts, an artist-run residency and exhibition space on the Greek island of Paros. The question of balancing forces connects the works of the five artists from different backgrounds. The starting point is a journal entry from the Aegean Notebooks of poet and essayist Zissimos Lorenzatos (1915-2004):

“The sky, earth and sea of Greece only allow you a limited number of things to believe, build, sketch, live or speak. The smallest wrong movement and everything can fall into the abyss. Sometimes its inhabitants have known this and have believed, built, sketched, lived (and spoken) accordingly. At other times they have missed the mark and tried to do other things which neither the sky nor the earth nor the sea in this country allow you to do. Things that the country won’t take, as they say.”

In his Notebooks, Lorenzatos recounted his trips over the Aegean Sea in the 1970s and 1980s, visiting many of the Cycladic Islands by sailboat. Daily observations about weather conditions, places, and people he met merge with philosophical reflections on language, agriculture, technology, progress, and how to live “the good life.” Lorenzatos was inspired by what can be learned from land and sea. He believed that the spirit and setting of a place offers a set of natural limitations. People who build and create should not ignore these measures, but be instructed and inspired by the environment. Lorenzatos’s writings can be read as an ode to the Aegean, as an early wake-up call concerning climate, and also as a reminder of existing knowledge. The right measures in life do not need to be invented. They are already available but need to be remembered, observed, and put into practice.

The artists in this group exhibition do not make loud statements. What they think, feel, or strive for is absorbed, reflected, and transformed in their work. It comes in the shape of archetypal figures, in bands of colors taken from houses or skies, in stony landscapes, in stories of origin, and in the act of existential balance. The exhibition presents artworks that speak about measures, boundaries, and relationships through the grace of form.

The paintings of Nikos Aslanidis (Greek, born 1980, lives and works in Thessaloniki) are the result of a process of building up many layers of color until a dynamic human figure appears, working or reflecting on a task or burden. If the figures seem to come from an older era, it is to open them up, to give them timeless features. Moments of beauty and wonder come together with existential questioning and the feeling that the figures are in a struggle, searching for balance. Aslanidis has developed his work in an ongoing dialogue with the (old) masters of painting, such as Titian and Velázquez. At the same time, he is interested in introducing personal elements and present-day occupations into the work, and bringing the natural light he perceives in his environment into the dramatic setting of his paintings.

Béatrice Dreux (French, born 1972, lives and works in Vienna) once remarked that “a painting is finished when it breathes.” When she starts to work with a pictorial motif, such as the moon or a rainbow, she repeats it many times, painting her way into its essence. She chooses natural motifs that can develop a symbolic or mysterious power: a cloud raining tears, or a lonely insect flying by. Through the study of such motifs, and the act of painting them, she connects to life and the process of transformation. On the canvas, the motifs turn into a richly layered surface of color, with both shiny, glittering aspects and darker, concealed areas. For Dreux, art-making is about connecting to older, spiritual, female wisdom. It is about carefully choosing the things you want to look at and pay attention to.

In her film Salt of my Eyes, Kati Roover (Estonian, born 1982, lives and works in Helsinki) couples her physical existence as a human being with a story about the origin of life as it appeared in prebiotic oceans. The connecting element is water, the salty fluidness as we carry it in our bodies. Water has been one of Roover’s interests in multiple works. Surrounded by water in her daily environment, the artist has conducted research in the manifold transformations happening in the Baltic Sea. In other instances, she has focussed on the healing powers of mineral springs, on the scarcity of water in Europe, and on ancient water rituals. Salt of my Eyes seems to be an invitation to see human existence in a broader yet more modest perspective. At the same time, the work points to the continuity between different forms of life through time.

For his Doric paintings, Sean Scully (Irish, born 1945, lives and works in Tappan, NY, USA) drew inspiration from the architecture on the island of Simi, as well as the rhythms and proportions he observed in the ancient Greek architecture, where the shapes of majestic columns are just as important as the empty space between them. As a traveling artist who exhibits worldwide, Scully is interested in how people live, how they build, and how they respond – in form and color – to their environment. “My paintings tell stories that are an abstracted equivalent of how the world of human relationships is made and unmade,” he noted. And, regarding his Doric paintings: “I wanted to express order and humanism.”

In the paintings of Maria Spyraki (Greek, born 1977, lives and works in Athens), different layers of memory are brought together as life events are stored. Starting from a personal observation, the artist isolates, modifies, and multiplies visual motifs, processing them through drawing, photography, and painting. The resulting works appear as abstracted landscapes, with layers of history, some of them visible, others fading or concealed. Landscape should not be taken too literally here – the works can equally be seen as mindscapes, offering a cross section of thoughts and experiences. Painting, with its nature of being layered, seems like an ideal medium to accommodate the artist’s interest in balancing forces without taking away their dynamics. Just as her background in architecture allows her to look at work from a structural perspective, her relation to nature, to the land and sea she grew up with, make the works appear organic.

We are super excited to share this awarded documentary with you!

Thank you Cyclades Preservation Fund -CPF, CineDoc - Greece, CineDoc Island, Anemon productions and The Hellenic Initiative for allowing us to be part of the movement "From Movies to Cyclades"

Sunday, August 20, 2023 at 20:30, Mediterranean, Life Under Siege.
Directed by Frederic Fougea | 2021 | Γαλλία, Ιταλία, Αυστρία, Ελλάδα | 90’

Entrance is free and open to the public.

July 8 - 31, 2023.
Σαλπάραμε - Ζarpamos, co-curated by Cycladic Arts based on Paros and artist collective Artiatx based in Bilbao, Spain and in Collaboration with Paros Festival.

Participating artists: Javier Arbizu (Spain), Marta Lorenzana (Spain), Dimitra Skandali (Greece), Erato Tagaridi (Greece) and Elli Velliou (Greece)
Spanish artists are sponsored by ETXEPARE EUSKAL INSTITUTUA.

Opening Reception: Saturday, July 8, 19:30.
Duration of the exhibition: July 8 - 31, 2023.
Opening hours: Daily except Tuesday, 19:30-22:00.


We set sail - Ζarpamos
text by Kostas Prapoglou

Cycladic Arts based in Alyki, Paros has the pleasure of collaborating with the art collective Artiatx from Bilbao, Spain for the co-curation of the group exhibition We set sail - Zarpamos of five artists of the contemporary art scene. Installations and sculptures occupy the entire gallery space as well as the outdoor area of the building.

Embarking from the long history of the Greek traditional fishing boat (caique) found in the waters of the Aegean Sea, the visual vocabulary of Javier Arbizu (Spain), Marta Lorenzana (Spain), Dimitra Skandali (Greece), Erato Tagaridi (Greece) and Elli Velliou (Greece) traverses across ideas of cultural uniqueness, tradition decline as well as loss and reclaim of memory.

During the last few decades, European Union regulations aiming at preventing overfishing, prompted thousands of Greek fishermen to hand in their licenses and agree to destroy their boats in exchange for subsidies. This resulted to the destruction of thousands of caiques and the subsequent diminishing of related professions such as sail makers, riggers and other craftsmen.

The works presented by the five participating artists react to the visual textures of cross-cultural identities, human mobility, social connections, simultaneously sparking dialogue about issues involving nostalgia and survival.
The diversity of mediums and materials utilised by the artists such as plaster, sand, plastic, wood, as well as an array of found objects from the area of Paros Island and the Gulf of Amvrakikos, will allow viewers to access a deeper realm beyond the physical and better understand the turbulent disorder of our current reality.
Embedding common cultural references and humanscapes between the participating Greek and the Spanish artists, all works on view capture the ephemeral quality of our memory and stand as vigorous testimonies to our invaluable heritage and question the shaping up of our future and our responsibility towards the next generations.

(is)land of dreams, curated by Dr Kostas Prapoglou.

Participating artists: Giorgos Kontis (GR/Berlin), Sandra Osborne (USA), Sandra Ramos Lorenzo (Cuba/USA), Dimitris Rentoumis (GR), and Dimitra Tzivelou (GR)

Opening reception: Saturday, July 23, 2022.
Duration of the exhibition: July 23 - August 28, 2022.
Open: Tuesday through Sunday, 7:30-11pm.


[is]land of dreams
Curated by Dr Kostas Prapoglou


The Cycladic Arts Residency proudly presents its debut exhibition at its magnificent brand-new renovated space located at the village of Alyki, in the southwestern corner of Paros island, Greece.
For this show, five international artists respond with new and recent works to ideas around the importance of home, belonging and identity, simultaneously taking into consideration how all these collide with our perception of locality and the understanding of our own self. The employment of a different medium by each artist, transmits a polyvocality of vision and the diverse survey of esotericism and imagination.

Giorgos Kontis (Greece/Berlin), Sandra Osborne (USA), Sandra Ramos (Cuba/USA), Dimitris Rentoumis (Greece) and Dimitra Tzivelou (Greece) become storytellers of their own dream; a dream that is interpreted through the filter of personal experiences, socio-cultural influences and inspirations.

How is a dream formed? To what extent does our unconscious feed our present self? These are questions that are explored and perhaps partially answered by each participating artist, taking into account their unique personal references and the particular emotional condition they find themselves at the time of creation. This has always been a personal and prolonged esoteric journey that orientates or disorientates us throughout our life.

Capturing the ephemeral quality of memory, all works urge us to investigate and scrutinise our self-reflections. They spark a dialogue about the meaning of our existence and the ways we trace our past and understand our present.

Characterised by an occult minimalism, all works emerge as imprints of thoughts. They have a close relation to the surroundings we all are accustomed to, but they simultaneously construct an amalgamation of undefined feelings; they channel a putative notion of the unknown. The works embrace a process of abstract documentation and an attempt to archive chaos and harmony, encouraging us to explain who we are and what our purpose is.

On an ancient land where the earth perpetually gazes at the bright sun light and shares its endless myths, we find plenty of dreams. They all speak about our origins, our fears, our guilty pleasures and our future. Such dreams are here to help us re-calibrate our spirit towards the actuality of life, its manifestations and its beautiful endless possibilities.