The Nicosia Manifesto Collection

The Nicosia Manifesto series represents a visceral evolution in my practice, manifesting as a collection of expansive, unstretched canvas works that prioritize raw materiality and physical presence. Utilizing a volatile mix of emulsion, acrylic, spray paint, and water, these pieces function as the definitive culmination of the explorations begun in my Summer 94' and Studies/ Compositions collections.

What began as intimate, small-scale experiments with gesture and colour has been translated here into a monumental format. This shift in scale necessitated a fundamental change in my approach: the movements once contained within the wrist and elbow have expanded to involve my entire body. The canvases are no longer mere surfaces for observation but have become environments of action.

The creation of these works was a deeply corporeal process. By removing the frame and laying the canvas directly on the ground, the boundaries between the artist and the medium dissolved. I found myself standing within the perimeter of the work, navigating the wet pigments and allowing my body to dictate the composition. At times, the traditional brush was abandoned entirely in favour of my feet, using movement to ground the energy of the paint into the fibers of the textile.

The anchor of this series is the eponymous piece, Nicosia Manifesto. It serves as a rhythmic homage to my hometown - a place that remains the primary conduit for my creative energy. The work stands as a declaration of prominence and identity; it translates the profound inspiration of my lived experiences in the city, my love of the Old Town and the city centre, into a global visual language. It captures the chaotic beauty of Nicosia through a language of splashes, stains, and sweeping, assertive strokes.

The interaction between heavy emulsion and fluid water creates a play of opacity and transparency. The use of spray paint introduces an urban, immediate texture that contrasts with the organic flow of the acrylics. By leaving the canvases unstretched, the work retains an architectural, tapestry-like quality that emphasizes its existence as a physical object.