Curatorial text

In this fourth Larnaca Biennale, Lines and Traces will serve as the foundation upon which we can imagine metaphoric, symbolic, and physical expressions of how we make sense of our world and our place within it. From the development of lineages and traditions, the narration of stories, and the construction of thought, to the ways we move, connect, communicate, and create meaning, all are acts that draw lines through our shared human experience.

As humans, we are primarily sustained by our actions and our movements in life. What if we were to imagine our world along lines and traces? We might begin by thinking of how our repetitive movements over a territory leave a mark on the natural landscape, or how a simple scraping over a surface might render our existence visible thousands of years later. Not only do the traces speak to us about our past, they also inform our future.

Lines have the power to become barriers, borders, and demarcations, yet they can also form surfaces on which to thrive, as in the warp and weft of a textile, or the accumulation of text and musical notation. The word line etymologically stems from linen, the spun thread of flax fibres, tightly twisted together. The concept of a line is most inspiring when conceived as such: a connection, a deeply intertwined relationship, and a vehicle for exchange.

How can a simple line hold such profound significance? Through the lens of the six T´s: text, territory, textile, touch, tune, and time, we can explore vast realms of movement, language, writing, drawing, mapping, and making. Gradually, a picture begins to emerge of how traces, lines, threads, and their many variations are interwoven into the very fabric of our existence.

In this concept Along Lines and Traces, our focus lies in how thinking about lines can deepen our understanding of human expression in the world. How can the tactile, the shaped, the material, and the sensorial reflect our inner world into the exterior? Can that which is unspoken reach us directly through abstraction?

Within Along Lines and Traces, the participating artists bring this concept to life through a multitude of interpretations and materializations. Each work traces its own path through this landscape, offering new ways to perceive and connect. It is up to the viewer to unravel what is presented, to connect the dots, tie the knots, follow the line, weave the thread, tread the path, and make the connection.

S.L.A

Credits

Curated by: Sana López Abellán

Artists: Abdoul-Ganiou Dermani, Achilles Nasios, Adi Oz-Ari, Adrián White, Akrivi Koukouli, Aleksandra Filatova, Anett Takacs, Anna Belleforte, Antonio Riello, Arleta Cehic, Boedi Widjaja, Bushra Al Shabibi, Charalambia Englezou, Cheryl Chen, Christina Shiakola, Christine Cheung, CULA, Cynthia Gerothanasiou, Danilis Georgiou, DEKATEKA, Dorothy Wedderburn, Efimero Design Studio, Efrossini (Fay) Skardi, Elena Kouma, Elenios Georgiou, Elisa Pieri, Elizabeth Sofia Rigby, Evangelia Goula, Filippo Gregoretti, Francoise McAree, George Koumouros, Gerdi Petanaj, Hakan Kasif, Hertog Nadler, Hilla Padan, Ifigeneia Ilia-Georgiadou, Igor Grigoletto, Ilanit Scharff Vigodsky, Ilia Korobkov, Ilina Chervonnaya, Ioanna Kasiki, Irena Paskali, ististist project, Jaime Andres Poblete Aravena, Jakob Veigar Sigurdsson, Jana Lulovska, Jun Zhang, Jun’ichiro Ishii, Kaoru Shibuta, Karma Barnes, Katerina Drakopoulou, Katerina Efstratiou, Katrin Schnabl, Kg Augenstern, Klara Kayser, Konstantina Mavridou, Kyriacos Patsalis, Laila Abd Elrazaq & Dana Mazal Ziv, Laura Bergillos Pedraza, Leda Solomonidou, Lena Kovpashko Heggelund, Liana Kuyumcuyan & Mert Öztekin, Lida Sharet Massad, Lilach Segal, Liv Ingeborg Ottersen, Mahmood Al Battshi, Marat Hasanov, Maria Buchner, Maria Despina Kyriakou, Mariadela Araujo Jerez, Mariem Abutaleb, Masha Adamova, Massimo Manfredi Luccioli, Melorin, Michalis Pantelidis, Myrto Aristidou, Nae Zerka, Nastya Faybish, Natali Touloupou, Nathalie Ventura, Nicolas Cilins, Nicole Pietrantoni, Niki Stavrou, Nikos Iosif, Paola Cenati, Penny Gkeka, Peter Davidson, Pola Hadjipapa – McCammon, Polina Kulbachevskaia, Rachel Frumkin, Ralph Nassif, Rania Abulhasan, Regina Costa, Remy Dubibe, Sasan Nasernia, Seitaro Yamazaki, Séverin Guelpa, Sharon Greenberg, Siouming Wu, Simon Pruciak, Sotiris Ioannides, Suly Bornstein Wolff, Vasiliki Pantazi, Victor Lopez Gonzalez, Vladimiros Kotanidis, Wai Lee, Yannis (John) Generalis, Yasmin Gur, Yotaro Niwa, Zhiyi Liu, Zoe Croggon.

Venue: Larnaca Municipal Galleries, Larnaca Municipal Market, Larnaca Medieval Castle, Apothiki 79, Common Ground Gallery, Pierides Museum, Athieniou Kalinikeio Museum, Costas Argyrou Museum.

Dates: 15.10.2025 to 28.11.2025

Partners: Artion Larnaka, Deputy Ministery of Culture, Municipality of Larnaka, CYENS, Thinker Maker Space, Cyprus Handicrafts, Wonderdots, Once in a Blue Moon, Cyprus Airways, Spanish Embassy, Polish Embassy, Accion Cultural PICE/ ACE, ArtVolt, Euronews.

Photography: Emma Louise Charalambous

Catalogue: Sana López Abellán