DIATOPOS ART CENTRE
Klitsa Antoniou, A Compass Without North. Installation view at Diatopos. Photo by Nicos Louca.
Diatopos Art Centre was established and is directed by Daphne Nikita with the aim of becoming a vibrant and dynamic space where creators, contemporary art, the public, and art theorists or critics can meet and engage in dialogue. Its mission is to promote contemporary artistic practice and convey the unique values of contemporary art. The Centre seeks to provide a platform for innovative and experimental practices, particularly those emerging from research into form, content, and modes of expression. It presents, high-quality exhibitions designed to help the public engage with the distinctive values of contemporary art. Alongside the exhibitions, discussions, lectures, and guided tours are organized to deepen understanding and appreciation of contemporary artworks, further strengthening the Centre’s communicative role. At Vima, Diatopos will present works by Theodoulos Gregoriou, Mathieu Devavry, and PASHIAS.
THEODOULOS GREGORIOU
(CY)
Theodoulos Gregoriou (b. 1956) lives and works in Cyprus and Paris. His participation in Aperto ’90 at the Venice Biennale marked the beginning of an important international presence. He has presented solo exhibitions at major institutions including the Musée du Louvre, Musée Les Abattoirs, National Museum of Contemporary Art, NIMAC – Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre, CMAC – Colmar Contemporary Art Museum, FRAC Alsace, and the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art.
He has also participated in international exhibitions at institutions such as the Olympic Museum, Petah Tikva Museum of Art, Tretyakov Gallery, Ianchelevici Museum, Kunsthalle Mannheim, Mu.ZEE, Museum Küppersmühle, and KunstHausWien.
He has presented three solo exhibitions at the Diatopos Art Centre in Nicosia and participated in several of its group exhibitions. His works are held in European museums, at the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris, and in public and private collections.
Gregoriou has created monumental works in public spaces, including at Larnaca International Airport, the University of Cyprus, the Cyprus Theatre Organization, the Ledra Street Checkpoint, and Famagusta Gate.
PASHIAS
(CY)
The practice of PASHIAS is grounded in the fields of performance art, installation, photography and video, establishing the artist’s body as primary material for creation. Through his on-going research in social constructs (body + gender), cultural consumption (body + food), competitive spectacles (body + sports), historical artefacts (body + exhibit), public architecture (body + commons), PASHIAS sets out to investigate alternative modes of communication and co-existence. He has participated in exhibitions and festivals in Cyprus, Greece, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Russia, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Bulgaria, Turkey, Belgium, Canada and Brazil. PASHIAS has a long-standing collaboration with Diatopos Arts Centre, including solo exhibition “Carry me home” (2019), group exhibitions “The road passes within” (2022) and “Cruel Spring” (2023). He has collaborated with cultural organizations, such as Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge, Marina Abramović Institute, SESC São Paulo, Museum of Contemporary Art Estonia, and Mediterranean Biennale of Contemporary Art. PASHIAS has been engaged with curating exhibitions and event series, and has been working as an educator/lecturer.
PASHIAS, Ω3, Public performance, 2023.
MATHIEU DEVAVRY
(FR)
Mathieu Devavry (born 1981, France) is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice is deeply rooted in painting. His pictorial work explores organic and rhizomatic dynamics, investigating relationships between the body, biology, and social systems. Through layered compositions in which forms, networks, and textures unfold and interconnect, he develops a visual research into the invisible structures that link living beings with their environments.
Based in Cyprus since 2014, Devavry also engages in socially oriented artistic practices that expand painting into performance, poetry, video, and participatory projects. His work often navigates the intersection between individual creation and collective experience, collaborating with diverse communities.
In 2024, he presented the solo exhibition Harmonie Symbiotique at the Diatopos Art Centre in Nicosia.
His paintings, murals, and artistic interventions have been presented in exhibitions and public space projects in France, Cyprus, Italy, and Spain.
