PRESS RELEASE
LA BATAILLE DES VINS / ? ??????S ?O? ???S???
Various locations – Lania, Cyprus
October 27th 2024 – December 1st 2024
Exhibition Opening Hours
Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10.00-18.00 or by appointment
Opening speech by Mimis Sophocleous, Academic, Director of Patticheion Municipal Museum, Historical Archives and Research Centre of Limassol
27.10.2024 at 16:00
In the frame of Cultural Decentralisation Programme of the Cultural Services of the Deputy Ministry of Culture, Republic of Cyprus
We are pleased to present the ground-breaking, international group exhibition La Bataille des Vins / ? ???eµ?? t?? ??as???, at various locations in the village of Lania, Limassol. The exhibition will feature works by Evelyn Anastasiou (Cyprus), Klitsa Antoniou (Cyprus), Adonis Volanakis (Greece), Jake Chapman (United Kingdom), Elina Ioannou (Cyprus), Stelios Kallinikou (Cyprus), Melita Couta (Cyprus), Phanos Kyriacou (Cyprus), Niamh O’Malley (Ireland), Natacha Antão Moutinho (Portugal) and Alexandros Psych
oulis (Greece). The exhibition is supported with contextual, historical and theoretical texts by Dr Gabriel Koureas (Cyprus), Dr Niki Young (Malta) and Dr Prokopis Christou (Cyprus). The organization, production and art curating are by George Lazoglou (Cyprus) and the concept, research and art direction by Klitsa Antoniou (Cyprus).
The title of the proposed exhibition derives from the poem La Bataille des Vins (The War of Wines 1224), written by the French poet Henri d’Andeli. The poem revolves around the first wine competition hosted by King Philip II of France, also known as Philip-Augustus, who, according to historical accounts, was an avid enthusiast of wine. The monarch sent his messengers to gather the finest wines from various locations across the world. The wine judge, used his cane to banish nearly all the wines, pushing them beneath the table, favouring only the Cypriot wine, Commandaria. ‘The wine of Cyprus’, as Henri d’Andeli wrote in his poem, ‘shone like a star’. It was the rich volcanic and ch
alky soil in combination with the oceanic wealth, the strong sun and the humidity which contributed to the creation of the first vineyards and the birth of the Cypriot Nama, Commandaria. Since antiquity, wine has been central to Cypriot culture and has significantly impacted the lives and destinies of the Cypriots, as well as the island’s history.
The exhibition La Bataille des Vins / The War of Wines, however, deviates from the traditional and folklore perceptions and interpretations of viniculture in Cyprus. It frames new questions on history, arts, and contemporary philosophy, as artists re-imagine practices, issues, and spaces through the prism of contemporary art and thought.
In the exhibition context, the examination of winemaking in relation to the final product finds resonance in the context of New Materialism and Realism. These are two distinct movements in the humanities that are only tangentially connected to one another, but they are related in that they seek to acknowledge the significance of m
aterial reality in multiple ways of thinking. Embracing the context of New Materialism and Realism, Dr Niki Young in his essay for the exhibition, elucidates how wine is correlated with the context of Object-Oriented Ontology (OOO). While wine undeniably owes its existence to human cultivation and enjoyment, proponents of new materialism and realism challenge the notion that its being can be solely reduced to the human perspective. Consideration of the multitude of entities involved in wine production reveals a complex web beyond human actors. In addition to allegedly ‘human-related’ actors such as casks, farmers, and technology, there are also other non-human contributors such as the sun, hills shaped by time, specific soil components influencing taste, and crucial organisms sustaining the vine and fermentation.
In the framework of Manuel DeLanda’s thought, wine therefore emerges as an assemblage, a complex composition formed by numerous entities engaged in intricate relations of exteriority with each other
. Approaching the wine production process as a form of territorialization (inspired by DeLanda and Deleuze) requires a serious acknowledgment of its relative independence from the human sphere. This perspective encourages a focused examination of the diverse entities involved in both the process of wine production and the resulting product itself.
Dr Gabriel Koureas examines the multi-sensory aspects of wine and viticulture as an aesthetic medium, which the artists in this exhibition incorporate into their work. In his exhibition essay, he approaches wine as a living being that is the result of an organic process, fermentation which has often been associated with a work of art. He elucidates that the notion of the aesthetic was pivotal in delineating art from practical or utilitarian considerations, as well as from cognitive or intellectual concerns, despite their convergence in late-nineteenth-century interpretations of high culture. Drawing from Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten (1714-1762), Koureas asserts th
at the senses are active generators of meaning rather than just passive receptors of sensations, providing an alternative approach to the traditional dichotomy between rationalism and sensualism with his belief that human beings could and should not be reduced to either purely rational or purely sensual beings. He points out that this awareness informs the artworks in this exhibition, keen to explore not only how signs operate sensuously, but also how all sensations have semiotic potential.
Koureas elucidates a crucial facet of Baumgarten’s philosophy relevant to this exhibition, that cognition through the senses has its own significance, as sense perceptions generate specific and valuable meanings which do not need and cannot be translated into rational thoughts. Their ‘confused representation’ is not a defect but a positive quality, an ‘extensive clarity’ which is impossible to divide into smaller entities or components, as rational thinking would. Baumgarten thus embraced the confusion of sensual experien
ces as a sign of wholeness similar to Dionysian excess.
The artists’ works are hosted/philoxenountai at various locations in Lania, a community known for its extensive hospitality and winemaking legacy. In his essay, Prokopis A. Christou elucidates that the concept of philoxenia underscores the importance of welcoming strangers and cultivating profound connections, while maintaining its cultural and spiritual significance, especially in particular contexts and locales where it is expressed through traditional practices. The enduring values of philoxenia are often channeled through the offering of consumable goods, exemplified by Commandaria, a Cypriot wine that nourishes both body and soul through its comforting sweet qualities.
As one of the oldest wines in the world, it is a symbol of Cypriot heritage and generosity. Christou elucidates how the act of pouring a glass of Commandaria invites guests into a tradition that spans centuries, creating a bridge between the past and present, and between the host an
d whoever was previously regarded as an unknown person (xenos). In essence, Commandaria acts as a medium of connection between the host and the guest, while fostering conversation, sharing, and the creation of shared memories. The preservation of the spirit of philoxenia is essential for the cultivation of compassion and human connections in a world that is characterized by egocentric attitudes and profiteering. Philoxenia extends beyond commercial considerations to incorporate cultural and religious obligations. It is the embodiment of a philosophy that prioritizes the acceptance of the unknown, the provision of tangible amenities such as food and drink, and the treatment of visitors with respect.
The research and ex-post visual and participatory approach to winemaking and its different aspects is highlighted in the artists’ works in unconventional installations and collaborative actions presented in six different locations in the community of Lania. Visitors with the help of maps of these sites can visit t
he Old Police Station of the community, where three artists exhibit their creations. Evelyn Anastasiou by capturing a music setlist in stone using silkscreen printing transforms the ephemeral into a monument-like object thus capturing the sensual experience of a live performance and its Dionysian spirit to a sacred anthem of release. Elina Ioannou’s objects-volcanic stones shaped by water and time, along with cast metal snails and chains-are integrated to evoke ‘sensitive perceptions’ that require visitors to engage actively with the ecological consequences of their actions. Finally, Natacha Antão Moutinho’s work scrutinizes societal interactions in the Douro area of Portugal, renowned for its Port wine and the arduous conditions, particularly for women and children, associated with wine production. The installation honors individuals typically excluded from official narratives and highlights the injustices intrinsic to wine production and consumption.
The second stop is at Klelia Hadjiioannou Event Venue. T
here, Adonis Volanakis starts from fermentation to bring to the surface the importance of fluidity in the formation of gender identities. This participatory work invites the visitor to a set of senses without rational thinking, thus embracing the confusion surrounding gender. The installation of Phanos Kyriacou brings to the visitor a sense of smell and its semiotic capabilities. The symmetrical piece of pine wood, a found object, and the addition of cypress oil to the wood complicates and confuses our senses by recalling memories to the present of past places and landscapes. Conversely, at the Traditional Kafeneio, visitors can encounter a collection of drawings by Alexandros Psychoulis that convey the semiotic dynamics of scent and loss from his father’s oenological laboratory in Volos, intricately intertwined with the spatial memories of the Cafeneio in Lania where the drawings are displayed.
In the periphery of the village square three other important spaces can be explored. At the Traditional Wine Press
, Klitsa Antoniou’s installation oînops póntos /????? p??t??, meaning wine-dark sea, a term employed by Homer to depict the color of tumultuous waters creates a multi-sensory experience utilizing wine ceramic vessels, sound, and video projection. At the Folklore Museum, Stelios Kallinikou presents a video that immerses the viewer in traditional ritualistic healing procedures intricately linked to the earth and harmonized with the elements of nature. The artist juxtaposes therapeutic techniques with colonial extractivist activities. Ultimately, Melita Couta’s work at the Olive Press draws inspiration from fermentation, distillation, and filtration processes, examining the enigmatic transformation of one substance into another, implying that this alchemical-like process encompasses imperceptible micro-operations that transpire predominantly beyond human control or intervention.
Archaeology has demostrated that winemaking in Cyprus dates back to 3500 BC, marking an existential journey through time, defining Cyp
riot history and identity through the relationship of its inhabitants with their homeland. From antiquity until today, the Cyprus Nama, as ancient writers called it, whether an assemblage, a living being, an aesthetic medium, a connective bridge or a work of art is unquestionably an element of our intangible cultural heritage, which defines and underlines Cyprus’ timeless historical/socio-political identity and continuity of place, and which inevitably contradicts its modern history and its violent division.
Source: Cyprus News Agency