"Mirror of Conflict" exhibition by Nico Carpentier in Cyprus

The "Mirror of Conflict" exhibition investigated how the memorials on the island of Cyprus represent the Cyprus Problem in very particular ways, often supporting antagonistic nationalist discourses and constructing the other as Enemy. It is an arts-based research project, grounded in academic research, that uses an artistic repertoire to communicate and co-produce knowledge.

The 93 photographs, capturing acts of memorialization both in the south and north of Cyprus, show the presence of national(ist) markers, but also that these antagonistic nationalist discourses do not go uncontested. Moreover, by displaying these photographs next to each other, we can also see the structural similarities between these memorials. Even when they refer to different people, events and analyses, the memorials in the north and south of Cyprus are remarkably similar in how they focus on history and identity, on victims, heroes and leaders, and on freedom, victory and sacrifice.

Watch a video impression of the Mirror of Conflict exhibition, which took place at the Home for Cooperation (H4C) in the Nicosia Buffer Zone, Cyprus, from 15 to 22 April 2022.