The gallery-hopping scene in Cyprus this winter may not be rich in numbers, but it is exceptionally compelling and multi-layered. Contemporary artistic production, historical research, storytelling through everyday objects and urban memory come together in a constellation that is hard to ignore. Dress warmly, clear your diary and begin the year with a curated journey through what galleries haveύ have to offer in the first weeks of the new year.
From painting and sculpture to archival research and multimedia installations, this winter’s programme invites us to slow down and observe more carefully.
Two Gazes
Panagiotis Passantas & Giorgos Gerontidis
Apochalypse Gallery
Opening: 4 February 2026
On view until 21 February 2026
This exhibition brings into dialogue two distinct artistic approaches to the human figure. Working primarily with clay, Panagiotis Passantas creates sculptures that balance physicality with emotional intensity, drawing on elements of Cypriot tradition through a contemporary lens. Giorgos Gerontidis, through layered painterly surfaces, uses colour and light as carriers of psychological tension. The exhibition proposes two complementary ways of viewing the human body as both form and lived experience.
Fluid Persistence
Group exhibition
Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre
On view until 31 May 2026
Fluid Persistence takes as its starting point two key references: John Burns’ 1943 statement in the Daily Mail, in which he described the River Thames as “liquid history”, and journalist Erica Gies’ book Water Always Wins (2021), which invites us to consider the desires of water itself.
Water, a vital yet unpredictable force, nourishes ecosystems, shapes landscapes and flows through human and non-human bodies, resisting attempts at control in an era of rapid development and climate instability. Within this context, the question “What does water want?” becomes particularly resonant.
The exhibition features nineteen contemporary artists whose work responds directly or indirectly to these ideas. Their practices explore urgent issues relating to ecological destruction, the role of water in narrative and fiction, its geopolitical power, as well as its dark, haunting and deeply transformative nature, rooted in the fact that we are bodies of water.
Anchored in Cyprus yet extending far beyond it, the exhibition places local stories of rivers, seas, wetlands, wells, dams and waterways in dialogue with broader environmental and geopolitical frameworks. From ancient myths to colonial infrastructures and hidden water flows, water emerges as a conduit of power and a carrier of memories, whispers and lost lives.
Some artists trace dormant rivers and springs in Nicosia, record oral testimonies, photograph eroded stone surfaces or map wetlands and coastlines marked by territorial control and ecological change. Others employ water symbolically to express grief, desire, freedom and catharsis.
Ultimately, Fluid Persistence foregrounds fluidity as both method and metaphor. The exhibition unfolds as a fluid space where stories expand, memories surface and silent tensions are revealed through real and imagined narratives that unsettle familiar geographies. Visitors are invited to explore these layered, often overlooked narratives of place, understanding fluidity not only as a physical condition but also as a narrative form that reshapes how we perceive, inhabit and comprehend the world.
Simple – Complex – Invisible: An Unknown Archive
Christoforos Savva
Leventis Municipal Gallery
On view until 28 June 2026
This exhibition sheds light, for the first time, on a valuable and previously unknown archive of Christoforos Savva (1924–1968), the artist who opened new paths in modern Cypriot art and connected local artistic production with major international movements.
The archive, comprising artworks, sketches, photographs and personal notes, offers new insights into Savva’s creative trajectory and reveals lesser-known aspects of his work.
The discovery of this archive was the result of chance, friendship and acts of reconciliation. In late 2020, Eleni S. Nikita, the first curator of the Gallery’s Cypriot Collection, met collector Charalambos Sergiou to view a folder of works donated to him by a Turkish Cypriot friend. This gesture of return and reconciliation proved to be part of a much larger archive containing hundreds of works and objects by Savva, dated from 1946 to 1968.
The archive originates from Savva’s friendship and collaboration with the father of the Turkish Cypriot donor, a well-known collector and client of the artist. Their story reveals a moving chapter of Cyprus’ recent history, where art transcends divisions and becomes a bridge of communication.
The systematic study and classification of the archive began in 2021 under the scientific guidance of Eleni S. Nikita. Sadly, she did not live to see the completion of the publication and exhibition, having passed away in 2024, leaving a profound void. This exhibition is dedicated to her memory and stands as a tribute to her significant scholarly work and her unique contribution to the understanding and promotion of modern Cypriot art.
Thalassa: Twenty Years Beneath the Surface
Thalassa Municipal Museum
Ayia Napa
Ongoing
Marking its twenty years of operation, the Thalassa Museum presents a renewed programme dedicated to underwater archaeology. Digital applications and educational spaces offer a hands-on experience, highlighting Cyprus’ enduring relationship with the sea and Mediterranean maritime history.
The Myths of Cyprus
Kasteliotissa Hall
Opening: 17 January 2026
On view until 25 February 2026
Hosted in the historic Kasteliotissa building in Nicosia, this is an impressive production by the Press and Information Office that brings to life mythical figures from the Cypriot imaginary, including Digenis, Sierolotta, the Kalikantzari, the Riginna and other creatures that have fuelled folk storytelling for centuries.
Through three-dimensional constructions and figures, visitors are able to encounter these myths up close. The use of virtual reality technologies further enhances the immersive experience, transporting audiences into scenes inspired by the narratives of older generations.
Medieval Nicosia
Old Nicosia Town Hall
Opening: 21 January 2026
On view until 24 June 2026
This exhibition traces a journey through the medieval history of the capital. Based on the research of scholar Nasa Patapiou, it seeks to reconstruct the image of a city that once served as a key Mediterranean hub.
At its core are four emblematic garments that function as narrative “stations”, each with its own story, revealing aspects of medieval society, dress and aesthetics. Through texts, visual material and detailed reconstructions, visitors gain a comprehensive understanding of the period and the cultural foundations that shaped modern Nicosia.
From Press to Present
Garage Gallery
Opening: 21 January 2026
On view until 24 June 2026
This exhibition focuses on Cyprus’ recent history as recorded in newspapers from the archive of the Press and Information Office. Headlines and press reports are transformed into short animations based on authentic archival material, shedding light on major events, social changes and defining moments in the island’s history.
Offering a dynamic and accessible experience, the exhibition highlights how journalism records, interprets and communicates reality.