The Art Attack Cyprus Art Competition concluded with an art exhibition of the finalists’ artwork and an awards ceremony held in a restaurant in the buffer zone Wednesday, November 21st. Representatives of the two communities of Nicosia, Eleni Mavrou and Cemal Bulutoğluları, awarded the finalists with their prizes.

The island-wide art competition, which was launched in May 2007, invited Cypriots of all ages and abilities to express their ideas by submitting artwork reflecting on themes such as Identity, Difference and Equality, Memories, Spirituality, and the Future. More than 900 entries were received for the competition from all parts of Cyprus, proving that art can be a powerful medium for exploring the island’s social and cultural space.

The competition was developed by members of the Cyprus Art Competition Advisory Board – 14 Cypriots from across the island representing the fields of fine art, design, literature, arts education, arts promotion, photography, galleries, film and theatre. Each individual contributed specialist experience, knowledge and guidance to the project. Prizes were awarded in five categories, from Age 9 and under up to 18 and over, with a special “professional” category.

“These winning artworks contain powerful messages about what is important to Cypriot people,” said Jaco Cilliers, ACT Programme Manager. “They deal with topics such as the destruction of the environment, gender inequality, the feelings of teenagers, the common Cypriot culture and how people see the future. We would like to thank everybody who made the effort to send in an artwork.”

The exhibition of the winning entries will be on display at Fokionos Restaurant (across from Ledra Palace) in Nicosia for three weeks: 21 November to 12 December 2007.