Memories
Visual Voices

Visual Voices is very proud to call the Goethe-Institut Cyprus and everyone working there a friend! Similarly, we see the Goethe-Institut Cyprus as a true friend of Cypriot civil society and the artistic community across the divide.

One of our greatest memories of our professional collaborations is being hosted by the Goethe-Institut for our exhibition of socially engaged artworks from emerging, Cypriot artists participating in our residency. This was a very exciting moment for us which helped us create a truly professional environment for our activities. This exhibition was extra special to us as it was one of the very few bicommunal activities taking place in the buffer zone during the COVID19 pandemic when restrictions to cross made any contact almost impossible. During this time both the artists and the general public were able to share some really beautiful, calm moments in the garden with the sun shining- and plenty of space to follow the necessary physical distancing rules.

The Goethe team and in particular the director Ms. Karin Varga have always been a believer and supporter of intercommunal projects on the island, hence she always found a way to support them, even at times where local institutions were unable to do so. We were also very lucky and thankful to be connected with German socially engaged artists. One example was Goethe-Institut's support to fly to Cyprus an internationally renowned, German artist and photographer, Rebecca Sampson, to take part in our conference as a guest speaker. This conference examined the power of art as a tool for conflict transformation and Rebecca's passion for reportage and social commentary on a wide range of social issues provided the conference participants with a very interesting view on how one can change their perspectives through art-based storytelling.

There are of course many other memories beyond our collaboration that make the Goethe-Institut Cyprus a special place for us. It is a place where we have had the opportunity to attend award-winning short films, incredible classical music concerts, presentations, and an excellent selection of art exhibitions.

On a personal note, it’s hard to forget Blacky and Grauli who always seem to be around! We love the Goethe cats and have enjoyed their company every time we come for an event.