The first Wednesday Lecture of the year at the AG Leventis Gallery in Nicosia will be dedicated to the goddess Aphrodite on January 10.
The lecture, which will be given by archaeologist and ancient historian Dr Jacqueline Karageorghis, will also include a screening of the documentary film The Great Goddess. The film is directed and produced by Stavros Papageorgiou and took seven years to complete. During this period, Papageorgiou sought to unveil the magnitude and complexity of the goddess.
In the process of bringing the documentary to the screen, hundreds of sources were researched, sacred locations filmed and legends and oral traditions brought to the surface.
The finished film contains the unique insights of the life’s work of Papageorgiou, who brings to life the spirit of ancient Cyprus and the immortal presence of the great goddess whom we know today as Aphrodite. But she has many other names, just like the many stories around her legend. These names have been around on the island from the Chalcolithic period right through to the present.
A shortened version of this documentary was screened at the British Museum in 2015. The event was fully booked and was attended by prominent researchers, journalists and scholars as well as by ancient history enthusiasts, including the eminent historian Bettany Hughes.
Papageorgiou is not only a filmmaker, he is also a strong believer that a viable film industry can be created in Cyprus. He has been trying to achieve such a vision for a long time, never giving up the fight, and firmly believes that the island can become a prime destination for filmmakers.
The lecture and film are being held as part of the temporary exhibition The Venus Paradox that will run at the gallery until January 15, with Karageorghis having acted as a consultant on the presentation of the exhibits. This exhibition animates the Cypriot goddess and woman through the paintings of great artists from the Renaissance and the Baroque era to Realism and Impressionism. The Venus Paradox reveals Venus (or Aphrodite) as a mother, as an immortal and as a mistress through stories of passion, jealousy, quarrels and misery.
Along with some of the great works exhibited at the gallery are works by five contemporary Cypriot. These artists are Savvas Christodoulides, Kyriaki Costa, Theodoulos Gregoriou, Nikos Kouroussis and Lia Lapithi.
If you are interested in going to this event, send an email to [email protected] or call 22-668838 by Monday to book your seat.
The Greatest Goddess of Cyprus
Screening of the film. January 10. A G Leventis Gallery, Nicosia. 7.30pm. In Greek. Free. Tel: 22-668838
