The Deputy Ministry of Culture launched on Tuesday an open call for artists to represent Cyprus at the 61st International Art Exhibition – Biennale Arte 2026, which will take place between April and November 2026, with a deadline for submission of proposals on Friday, May 2, 2025.
According to the Deputy Ministry, the Cyprus Pavilion will be housed, as in previous participations, at Associazione Culturale Spiazzi, Castello 3865, 30124 Venezia, near the Arsenale.
In a press release, the Deputy Ministry said that participation of Cyprus will be selected through an Open Call for Proposals, by the Deputy Ministry’s Advisory Committee for the Selection of Artists and Works, comprising of independent art professionals.
Specifically, the current Committee Members are Gabriel Koureas, art historian and academic (Member), Catherine Nikita, art historian and curator (Member), Nicos Pattichis, collector (Member), Polys Peslikas, visual artist (Member) and Louli Michaelidou, Cultural Officer A’ (President, representative of the Director of the Department of Contemporary Culture – Deputy Ministry of Culture).
It is added that continuing the policy that began to be implemented from the previous edition, the Open Call will be inviting all-inclusive participation proposals (joint artistic and curatorial proposals), with a submission deadline of Friday, 2 May 2025.
Interested parties are invited to submit all-inclusive proposals, which should include a joint artistic and curatorial proposal, clearly expressing the breadth and practical and theoretical scope of the artistic and curatorial rationale for the Cyprus Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale.
As noted, proposals should include names of contributors, artist or group of artists and curators or group of curators (required) or other collaborators such as theoreticians, writers, architects, designers, etc. (optional), concise biographical notes of contributors and collaborators (up to 500 words), a concise proposal rationale, up to 500 words, supporting material for the proposal, up to 20 pages (e.g. drawings, texts, visual/audio and/or other material), representative samples of contributors’ previous work, up to 20 pages (works, exhibitions, etc.) and full contact details of contributors.
In addition, an indicative artistic production budget should be included, which should not be considered binding for any party, while as a general remark, production costs are not an evaluation criterion.
As has always been the case, the Commission’s evaluation will be based entirely on qualitative criteria, with the final planning and budget of the Cypriot participation being formulated in collaboration with the Department of Contemporary Culture, as organiser, within the limits of the relevant budget provisions.
Proposals for participation should be submitted no later than Friday, 2 May 2025 by email to [email protected]. The total file size of each proposal submitted must not exceed 20MB. An acknowledgement of receipt will be sent.
The results of the Open Call will be announced in the Daily Press and online, on the web at www.cyprusinvenice.org, www.culture.gov.cy and at social media pages www.facebook.com/cypruspavilion, Instagram: @cyprusinvenice, the statement concludes.
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Source: CNA
