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And then, we built new walls...
I
n Demetris Neokleous’ solo exhibition at Argo
Gallery entitled,
And then, we built new walls...,
the artist seeks to create works which resemble
cityscapes that lure the viewer into an illusory ex-
perience. They relate images from a city enclosed
by walls, which reveal a regulated and functional
city. The closer we get to the detail of the city struc-
tures, the clearer our vision seems of this almost
third dimensional place of habitation. But this
works as another illusion; a moment captured by
magic or nightmare.
Its intentional super flat surface, resembling an
illustration print, juxtaposes a third dimension,
which remains suggestive only. In the sensible
mood of a graphic image, the animated outburst
of a vibrant playfulness brings to light possibilities
encountered in spaces where celebrative moments
of everyday happiness are promised in the face of
dark, black and white representations of post-mod-
ern and industrial life.
By Maria Petrides, Independent Writer
About the artist
Demetris Neokleous was in 1973. He lives and
works in Nicosia Cyprus. For the past five years
he has been organising and participating in group
exhibitions in Cyprus and abroad. In Cyprus, he
founded
Noise of Coincidence
with a purpose of
rallying young artists and giving a new pulse to
the local visual scene. “My work, before and af-
ter Noise, has gone and still goes through a lot of
experimentation. Having studied painting, I began
to work with this medium, before gradually feeling
the urge to experiment with other forms of visual
expression. I became curious, wanting to create
out of material that would inevitably not stand the
passage of time. Newspapers, dirt, chocolate and
bread became my favourites. These works were
either installations or performances.”
For the last few years, he has been working exclu-
sively on a series of installations, deeply influenced
by the issue of refugees, of which he has personal
experience since his childhood was marked by
several changes of all sorts of dwellings. “My own
experience, coupled with the mass movements
of populations in neighbouring countries (in the
Middle East and the Balkans), led me to this choice
of theme. Thus, I began to create a series of tents
with multiple meanings. Tents made of a variety
of fabrics and structured in a style that refers to
Middle Eastern architecture (arches, domes, etc.).
Lace, muslin, leather provide an ironic twist to the
subject matter. Given the materials and the shapes
chosen, my works take an ironic stance on the is-
sue of refugees directed not towards the refugees
themselves but towards those responsible for mak-
ing them refugees.”
Painting exhibition by Demetris Neokleous
