From Limassol to the world: VIMA wants to put Cyprus on the art map – all the while building bridges

“The time has come.”

This was the sentiment Lara Kotreleva heard over and over again when testing the waters on the possibility of hosting an art fair in Cyprus. 

The more she, together with co-founders Edgar Gadzhiev and Nadezhda Zinovskaya, learned about the island’s art scene, the clearer this reality became to the visionary team – three Russian art and marketing professionals, who have all made their home in Cyprus in recent years.

“The growing number of galleries and artists who are actively working here and building international connections provides a solid foundation for hosting an art fair on the island,” Kotreleva concluded. And so, the team began to build towards Vima: the first international contemporary art fair in Cyprus, slated to open in May 2025 in the seaside city of Limassol. 

An art fair in a former winery overlooking the sea certainly sounds idyllic – but Euronews Culture wanted to dig a little deeper, exploring what Vima (touted as one of the big art openings of 2025) means for the island, and the challenges (as well as opportunities) that come with working in the very particular Cypriot context.

Is the Cypriot art scene ready for a fair?

Talking of challenges, it might be good to address the “elephant in the room”. At least, this was how it was termed by one audience member at a public discussion event around the time of VIMA’s launch. Amid a barrage of generally very positive comments and questions, this person, not unreasonably, had questions about whether the project – founded by three Russians – could be thought of as a “neocolonialist” venture. This is not an issue the team shy away from; in fact, they are very humble about their strengths and weaknesses with regard to setting up an art fair in their (relatively new) home.

For the founding trio, it has been invaluable to seek out the knowledge of established figures in the local art community, establishing an expert committee on whom they could lean for contextual understanding. 

“We’ve often remarked how fortunate we were to identify and involve such knowledgeable and dedicated experts despite not initially having a deep understanding of the local context,” Kotreleva said of the committee, which comprises Alexandros Diogenous (Founder of Pylon Art & Culture, Co-founder of Limassol Art Walks), Tasos Stylianou (Director and Co-founder of Limassol Art Walks and Gallerist), and Andre Zivanari (Founder and Director of Point Centre for Contemporary Art, Nicosia).

The committee members see Cyprus’s art scene as vibrant and evolving – and fertile ground for a new art fair.

“Despite the fact that we are a relatively newly established but also small state with a lack of infrastructure [...] a significant number of people participate together [to] shape a very dynamic scene [...] not inferior in quality to any other European one,” Stylianou told Euronews Culture.

Zivanari also underscored that Cyprus is a “developing art market”, lacking a “formal system of production” but notable for its “very interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary scene” and artist-run spaces “characterised by freedom and an implicit invitation for sharing and exchange”. 

For Diogenous, too, the “abundance of talented artists [...] academic and curatorial expertise and many non-profit and artist-run spaces” is a real strength; what is lacking, however, is the “commercial side”, which he believes is “a fundamental part of any art ecosystem”.

“This needs more work and I hope that VIMA will help a lot in this direction,” he explained.

Putting Cyprus on the map

“I was really excited by the prospect of Cyprus having its own art fair and a place on the contemporary art map and annual calendar,” Diogenous continued. His Limassol Art Walks – a multi-day event uniting Limassol’s galleries, founded together with Stylianou – have played no small part in readying the ground for the fair in this regard, raising awareness of the art scene both locally and with international visitors. 

For Kotreleva, the mission of VIMA is, in part, to build on this growing awareness: “We aim to provide visitors, local and otherwise, with a compelling snapshot of the island’s contemporary art landscape, along with the broader region’s vibrant art scene,” she explained.

Stylianou sees particular value in “the formation of a more open framework”, in which international participants in the fair – both foreign galleries and curators, which so far include Hot Wheels (London and Athens), Kalfayan (Athens and Thessaloniki), and Marfa (Beirut), with more to be announced – “get to know the local scene and its conditions in preparation for new collaborations”.

With this in mind, VIMA’s first edition will place particular emphasis on the Cypriot scene.

“We’re welcoming a significant number of local galleries and dedicating a space to nonprofit art spaces,” co-founder Kotreleva enthused, also noting that the fair will include an exhibition curated by an international curator, together with a parallel programme celebrating the island’s cultural heritage. Among the Cypriot galleries already confirmed to participate are Eins and Art Seen.

Building bridges within the Mediterranean neighbourhood…

With its name meaning “step”, but also “platform” or “podium” in Greek, VIMA (Bήμα) is about more than just selling art – it also aims to build connections between Cyprus and its neighbours in the Mediterranean region.

Situated at the crossroads of East and West – an overused phrase, perhaps, but strikingly true in this case – Cyprus occupies, VIMA’s founders believe, a unique position geographically and culturally, making it the perfect place for dialogue and exchange. 

Zinovskaya, another of the fair's founders, highlighted the region's complexity, explaining that “the Mediterranean is a vast and historically complex region with shifting terminologies and geographical definitions over the centuries.”

Co-founder Gadzhiev, in turn, reflected on Limassol's particular importance within the region, pointing out that “Limassol, among the cities on the island, stands out as a very international hub, historically welcoming people from diverse countries and cultures.”

It’s with this in mind that VIMA aims to carve out a space that welcomes and nurtures interaction, offering both participants and audiences a meaningful opportunity to engage with diverse cultural practices – and particularly “focusing geographically on Cyprus and its neighbouring countries, primarily in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Zinovskaya told Euronews Culture.

… and within Cyprus itself…

As well as looking outwards to its Mediterranean neighbours, VIMA’s organisers are also casting their gaze inwards: seeking to champion local artists and foster a Cypriot art ecosystem.

As Diogenous underlined, "VIMA will be a game-changer for the Cypriot art scene as it will give Cypriot artists and galleries the opportunity to show their work to an international audience." He noted that such an initiative is “even more important” for the Cypriot art community, with the island’s “geographic isolation” making engagement and exchange more difficult.

Beyond this enhanced exposure to the international scene and providing a platform for artistic exchange, the fair’s expert committee believe VIMA will help to build the broader infrastructure necessary for a thriving art ecosystem. Zivanari emphasises the multifaceted role of art fairs, noting that their impact extends far beyond the market itself. 

“A fair doesn’t only operate in one direction and dimension – its infrastructure is, of course, tied to the art market, but it also brings to play a series of different things, introducing them into the field, filtering in new and necessary forces: awards, panels, committees, criticism, journalism…,” she explained to Euronews Culture. 

This extensive footprint strengthens both the private and public sectors, Zivanari said, fostering dialogue and collaboration between them. VIMA’s ability to stimulate partnerships across various sectors, from curators to collectors, will infuse the local art scene with energy and drive. As she puts it, “It stimulates the art market, it pumps it with energy, which also encourages collecting… Essentially, VIMA is here to build on an already dynamic stage, it’s here to assist in revealing what’s already on the island.”

Through these efforts, VIMA is not just working to support artists in the now, but also to reinforce the infrastructure that will – hopefully – allow Cyprus’s art scene to grow and thrive for years to come.

… including the north

VIMA’s commitment to fostering cross-border dialogue and collaboration, owing to the division of Cyprus, means reaching across border lines on the island itself.

Gadzhiev told Euronews Culture of the VIMA organisers’ appreciation for the work that has already been done with regard to breaking down walls – practical, political or cultural – to build a more unified art community that embraces artists from both the Republic of Cyprus and the north of the island (controlled by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Turkey), and to build on this progress.

“We greatly value existing initiatives aimed at fostering interaction and collaboration among artists across the island. We are aware of residency programs and exhibition initiatives and hope to see artists from the northern part of Cyprus participating in the fair,” he said.

For Zivanari, founder of Point Centre in Nicosia, the divided capital of Cyprus, art can play a crucial role in navigating the island's political and cultural complexities. “I think what makes the art scene in Cyprus particularly exciting are the artists striking a balance between experimentation and the political fluctuations of the island,” she said. Artists now, she explained, are “less intimidated by the layers blanketing the island”.

In a place where the scars of division are felt daily by many, art offers both a way to reflect, explore and understand the broader context of the island’s history and politics, and a means of very personal self-expression within this context.

“Art is, of course, a tool for accessing all the historical and intellectual layers, while also unravelling an expansive field for thought and interaction between various communities,” Zivanari reflected, “But it’s also a push, it asks you to [...] come out the other side having defined something for yourself.”

In spite of the challenges inherent in such an endeavour, she remains convinced of the role of art in contributing to a broader, more inclusive dialogue: “Art, undeniably, has the power to bridge and VIMA’s intention is to harness that.”

VIMA Art Fair runs in Limassol from 16-18 May 2025.