A digital exhibition in Brussels, entitled “Cyprus Insula – History, Memory, Reality”, guides visitors through Cyprus’s long history, from antiquity to the present, highlighting the events, experiences, and memories that shaped the island’s identity.
Hosted at Gare Maritime in Tour & Taxis until May 24 as part of Cyprus’s EU Council Presidency, the exhibition uses modern technologies to connect past and present. Speaking to CNA, the Director of the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, Yannis Toumazis, explained that the exhibition “aims to take visitors from Cyprus’s emergence from the sea, through the Pentadaktylos and Troodos mountains, to reflections on the future, showcasing how the Cypriot identity was formed through centuries of complex historical periods.”
The exhibition is structured in five acts. The first, “The People of Cyprus,” shows how Cypriot artists and craftsmen shaped the human form in stone, clay, and marble, while also presenting the island’s geomorphology.
Toumazis emphasized that this act illuminates “the natural environment that shaped everyday life and Cyprus’s cultural identity.” The second act, “Unified Cypriot Insularity,” explores the place and architecture of Cyprus through 3D digital applications, presenting key monuments and natural landscapes.
The third act, “Modernity,” covers the Republic of Cyprus from 1960 to 1974, highlighting Famagusta’s economic and cultural development and including an interactive presentation of Nicosia International Airport, which Toumazis described as “a landmark project of its time, a gateway for the Republic of Cyprus and a hub for the island.”
The fourth act, “The Difficult Years,” features a 29-minute dramatized documentary tracing Cyprus’s path from the late 1950s to the 1974 invasion, which Toumazis called “the soul of the exhibition, allowing both Cypriot and foreign visitors to understand our modern history in a moving way.” The final act, “Reflections on the Future,” raises critical questions about Cyprus’s trauma and its future, with Toumazis noting: “How can we listen to this trauma? How can we envision Cyprus in the years to come?”
