Pyroi, 2024

The artwork is a textile tapestry made with hyperbolic crochet flowers that bloom from its surface. The flowers, crafted piece by piece by women from across Cyprus, unfold in vibrant shades of red, producing extraordinary, organic shapes that evoke both the beauty and complexity of the Cypriot landscape. The pieces originally were created and used for a site specific installation in Agios Sozomenos village, where in one night, all Turkish Cypriot inhabitants were killed in retaliation for Greek Cypriot killings. The tapestry’s vibrant red shades and intricate crochet work evoke both the island’s topographical richness and the emotional wounds carried by its people.

The artwork invites viewers to engage with Cyprus’s topography—not only its physical landscape but also the emotional and historical terrain that has shaped and still shaping its identity. Each crocheted piece, handcrafted by women from different communities, becomes a thread connecting their diverse backgrounds, symbolizing how political, religious, and cultural differences can be woven together into something beautiful and unified.

This piece invites viewers to engage with it from multiple perspectives, revealing the complexities of Cyprus’s identity as shaped by political, cultural, and geographical divides. By merging traditional crochet techniques with a sculptural form, it serves as a powerful testament to the strength of communal memory, symbolizing the resilience as well as the potential for unity, growth, and healing through shared understanding and collective memory.
Honoring Cyprus’s past while envisioning future unity.