Valentinos Charalambous, born in 1929 in Famagusta, Cyprus, was raised in a family of traditional potters. He later pursued his passion for pottery by studying at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London, where he worked as a technical assistant after obtaining his diploma. In 1950-51, Charalambous spent a year at the LEACH Pottery, further enriching his artistic knowledge and skills.

Valentinos returned to Cyprus in 1952 to work with his father until 1957 when he was invited by the Ministry of Education of Iraq to establish the Department of Ceramics at the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad. In 1960, he organized a similar department at Tahrir Female College in Baghdad, and in 1967, he joined the Academy of Fine Arts of the University of Baghdad as the head of the ceramics department until his retirement in 1983.

Throughout his career, Valentinos has maintained close ties with Iraq and has been working with the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus since 1988, focusing on the development of Cyprus-Arab cultural relations. His work, although not directly influenced by Bernard LEACH, is often reflective of his appreciation for the renowned potter, as he believes his life has been enriched by knowing him.

Valentinos has been honored by the Iraqi government in 1987 for his valuable contributions to the country’s culture as both a teacher and artist. His dedication to pottery and his efforts to promote cultural exchange between Cyprus and Arab nations have solidified his reputation as an important figure in the world of ceramics.

Telemachos Kanthos (1910-1993) was a Cypriot artist who was deeply inspired by the landscape and people of Cyprus. He studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts from 1929 to 1932 and from 1934 to 1938. His artistic journey began with the study of 19th century landscape art and later he delved into the works of the Impressionists and the Post-Impressionists, particularly focusing on Cézanne.

Kanthos had a keen interest in landscape painting and thoroughly studied the light, colors, and volumes of Cyprus. When depicting everyday life, he focused on the ‘essential’ elements, simplifying forms and removing excessive details. After the Turkish invasion and its impact on Cyprus, Kanthos shifted to engraving and created a series of woodcuts titled “Hard Times”. In 1976, he returned to painting, producing significant oil paintings until 1989, drawing inspiration from the tragedy experienced in his homeland.

One of his notable works, “Triptych of ’74, The Flight ΙΙ”, painted in 1988-1989, portrays the hurried flight of people from their villages and homes under the threat of Turkish troops. The composition evolves in three parts, depicting the convoy of vehicles in a semi-circular arrangement. Kanthos used a limited color palette, contrasting cool and warm colors to express people’s negative feelings and the scorching summer plain of Mesaoria. The absence of a horizon heightens the tragedy of the historic moment.

Nitsa Hadjigeorgiou was born in Famagusta. She graduated from the Athens School of Fine Arts (ASFA), where she studied on a scholarship, and was mentored by distinguished visual artists and art theorists such as Yiannis Moralis, Pantelis Prevelakis, Kostas Xinopoulos, and many others.

She has been an active artist for the past fifty years, an art teacher in secondary education for over thirty years, president of EKATE (Cyprus Chamber of Fine Arts), and an examiner for entrance exams to Fine Arts Schools in Greece.

She has represented Cyprus abroad in various exhibitions and symposiums, most notably at the India Triennale in 1992, where she was awarded the gold medal for two works. In 2022, a major honorary retrospective exhibition of her work was organized by the Cultural Services of the Deputy Ministry of Education, at the Larnaca Municipal Art Gallery.

She has held numerous solo exhibitions and participated in many group shows and symposiums in Cyprus, Greece, and abroad. Some notable ones include the 2022 Honorary Retrospective by the Deputy Ministry of Education and Culture in collaboration with the Municipality of Larnaca; her 2020 Honorary Retrospective by the Municipality of Limassol at the Papadakis Warehouses; representation of Cyprus at the 19th Alexandria Biennale (1995); exhibition at the “House of Cyprus” (Athens, 1993); representation of Cyprus at the Cairo Biennale (1992); group exhibition “Flag of the Earth” (Seville, Spain, 1992); symposium “Earth Sign Earth” (Gustrow, Germany, 1992); 7th New Delhi Triennale (India, 1991); Biennale of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean (Marseille, France, 1990); exhibition by the Cyprus Chamber of Fine Arts (Moscow, Russia, 1989), among many others.

Her works are included in numerous collections and museums around the world.

Nikos Kouroussis was born in 1937 in Mitsero and lives and works in Nicosia. He studied art at Saint Martin’s School of Fine Arts and Horney College of Art in London. He was awarded a scholarship from the British Council and he took stage design lessons in London and was awarded a scholarship from Fulbright Institute to study, research and lecture at the Pratt University in New York and at the South Dakota State University, USA.

He was a stage and costume design at the Cyprus Theatrical Organization, the National Theatre of Greece and the Deutsches Theatre of Berlin. He presented his work in many solo and group exhibitions in Cyprus, Greece, the United States and throughout Europe. He participated and many prestigious international exhibitions including the 1968 India Triennale in New Delhi, in 1969 at Young Artists Biennale in Paris, in 1970 at the Commonwealth Institute in London, in 1971 at Sao Paulo Biennale, in 1972 at the Engraving Biennale in Venice, in 1972 and 1990 at Venice Biennale, and many more.

In 2021 he was awarded the Excellence Award of the Republic of Cyprus by the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts.

His works can be found in public and private collections inside and outside Cyprus, such as the National Gallery of Athens, the Cyprus State Gallery, the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art Thessaloniki and the National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens.

His work is in many public and private collections and his sculptures are in numerous public spaces.