Urban Gorillas in collaboration with the Kaimakli residents have co-organized Pame Kaimakli festival,
2018 edition, with the theme “Adopt an Artist”.
Old Kaimakli became an open gallery, and a hub of creative and social actions. Residents of Kaimakli
hosted the works of local and international artists, “adopting an artist” and co-curating exhibitions,
installations, and happenings in homes, shops and social spaces of the neighborhood.
Artists from the Milan-based network NON Riservato following a residency in Nicosia have been also
adopted by the local community.
Roads were closed for cars and public spaces were transformed through a series of actions, becoming a
platform for discussion, culture, play and engagement.
During the festival, a series of performances, workshops, exhibitions, sound and art installations,
screenings, food and music were planned, or at times occurred unexpectedly.
Funded by: Ministry of Education and Culture, Nicosia Municipality and Tandem for Europe.
“Adopt an Artist” was an extension of the “Pame Kaimakli” festivals. The 2018 edition of the festival, highlighted the growing gap between the production and enjoyment of art in increasingly privatised and closed art spaces, distanced from the physical public sphere and the wider community, especially the elderly and minority groups.
In the Spring of 2018, UG won a TANDEM Europe grant which would form the basis of a collaboration with an Italian NGO called NonRiservato, a network of artists and creatives from various artistic backgrounds committed to community-engaged actions. The initial idea for collaboration included the hosting – physical and virtual – of artists in people’s homes, investigating the idea of the production of art and its display through new methods and spaces. The context of the home as an extension of an open gallery became the basis for an investigation on boundaries between art and the community.
The grant facilitated the hosting and residency of four visiting artists from Italy, sparking the interest of local artists, and developing collaborations and interesting exchanges. The idea also formed the theme for the 2018 edition of “Pame Kaimakli”, “Adopt an Artist”. Milano and Nicosia municipalities, and the Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture also supported the initiative bringing attention to the project.
Work and performances were developed site specifically. Courtyard houses, shops, streets, roofs and abandoned sites, were activated, carving a new public space into the private realm. This created a neighborhood gallery, where the work of artists was co-curated with the active participation of the owners of private spaces. Besides the four artists visiting from Italy, the festival opened up to local artists. As a result, 23 artists were presented in people’s houses and 38 projects took place in the neighborhood.
UG paired up hosts and artists in partnerships to develop ideas and projects together, acting as the connecting agent and facilitator between the two. The newly formed partners took on the role of co-curators while taking ownership of their actions. UG provided support and facilitated the events, while catalysing connections, opening up the process and engaging the wider community.
In this open model of a socially engaged neighborhood festival, the borders between private and public spaces were temporarily eliminated with the extension of the public space into the otherwise introvert homes, forgotten backyards, private chapels, rooftops, and transformed garages. Events were orchestrated throughout the neighborhood bringing to life unseen spaces and giving life to the neighborhood in an unprecedented way.
In our opinion, the success of the project should not be measured in purely quantitative terms, though an unexpectedly high number of people did attend. Success was rather qualitative in nature, creating interactions amongst people diverse in ages, ethnic backgrounds, professional qualifications and interests, together with a desire of the participants to be part of it again.
Date: July 2018
Context: Annual neighbourhood cultural festival
Urban Gorillas in collaboration with the Kaimakli residents have co-organized Pame Kaimakli festival, 2018 edition, with the theme “Adopt an Artist”.
Old Kaimakli became an open gallery, and a hub of creative and social actions. Residents of Kaimakli hosted the works of local and international artists, “adopting an artist” and co-curating exhibitions, installations, and happenings in homes, shops and social spaces of the neighborhood.
Artists from the Milan-based network NON Riservato following a residency in Nicosia have been also adopted by the local community.
Roads were closed for cars and public spaces were transformed through a series of actions, becoming a platform for discussion, culture, play and engagement.
During the festival, a series of performances, workshops, exhibitions, sound and art installations, screenings, food and music were planned, or at times occurred unexpectedly . :
Funded by: Υπουργείο Παιδείας και Πολιτισμού, Δήμος Λευκωσίας, Tandem