/News

For the 56th edition of the Venice Biennale, Cyprus returns to Palazzo Malipiero to present an exhibition curated by Omar Kholeif.

Open Call:

Artistic Representation of Cyprus at the 56th Venice Biennale.

Deadline: Wednesday, 5 November 2014, 12:00 noon.

56th Venice Biennale:

The next Venice Biennial of Visual Arts will take place between the 9th of May and the 22nd of November 2015(preview 6-8 May).
The Board of the Biennale di Venezia has appointed Okwui Enwezor as Director of the Visual Arts Sector, with specific responsibility for curating the 56th International Art Exhibition. Born in Nigeria in 1963, Okwui Enwezor is a curator, art critic, editor and writer, with a wide-ranging practice which spans the world of international exhibitions, museums, academia, and publishing. Enwezor has investigated, in particular, the complex phenomenon of globalization in relation to local roots, and is a key figure in postcolonial art theory and criticism.

Exhibition Project:

Curator Omar Kholeif articulates his vision for the next Cyprus Pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Art as follows:“My ambition with the Cyprus Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale is to consider Cyprus’s relationship to the southern hemisphere. I have always seen Cyprus as the gateway to what we have come to know as the Global South. It is a site of multiple territories and imaginaries. My sketch for the upcoming exhibition is to consider the question of, how does one choreograph a history that is constantly being reimagined? How do we speak to an anthropology of movement? With this in mind, I seek to consider questions of identity, expanded geography, as well as cultures of image production and its dissemination.”Proposals for both new commissions and existing works, as well as performances would all be encouraged.

Open Call:

The artist(s) representing Cyprus in the exhibition will be selected through an Open Call process by the appointed curator. Those who wish to take part in the selection process are called to make a submission containing: 1) Curriculum Vitae, 2) Samples of previous work, and 3) Statement of Intent.

Terms of Application:

1. The Statement of Intent should clearly illustrate the breadth and scope of ambition by the candidate artist(s) for the pavilion of Cyprus at the 56th Venice Biennale, preferably in English.The final proposal will be developed in conversation between the selected artists(s) and the curator.
2. Any visual material may be submitted in the form of sketches, drawings, photographs, slides, or digital archives. Texts may be submitted in digital form.
3. Artists are free to use any media and techniques (audio, film, painting, sculpture, installation, photography, video, etc). There are no limitations concerning the type, form or subject of the final work.
4. Candidates may submit an application individually or on the basis of a collective project. More than one participant may be selected for the exhibition. The competition is also open to transdisciplinary projects.
5. Applications should be submitted by Wednesday, 5 November 2014, 12:00 noon, to the following address: MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND CULTURE, Cultural Services, 27 Ifigenias Street, 2007 Nicosia (Room 113, 1st Floor).
6. The cover of the envelope should necessarily include the indication “Venice Biennale 2015”, as well as the name(s) and contact details of the applicant(s).
7. Applications can also be submitted via e-mail, at cyprusinvenice@gmail.com. Digital files should not exceed 15 MB in total. Please request reception confirmation.
8. There are no age restrictions to apply.
9. Candidates must hold a connection to Cyprus in order to apply, whether it is through nationality, birth, origin, residency, or through their given line of research.
10. Candidates cannot be full time students, excluding PhD candidates.
11. The selected artist(s) will be announced in the Cypriot Press and online at http://www.moec.gov.cy/politistikes_ypiresies. Submitted materials may be collected within one month following the announcement.For enquiries please contact the Culture Department of the Ministry of Education and Culture: T +357 22 809814, F +357 22 809872, E

Image: Palazzo Malipiero, Venice. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Read more about Venice Biennale