BoCCF: ReThinking IDENTITIES Exhibition

Who owns cultural heritage, and how will we deal with it in the future? These questions were the cornerstone of the European Horizon 2020 project "Redefining the Future of Cultural Heritage, through a disruptive model of sustainability" (ReInHerit), which is a joint venture by several cultural and educational institutions.

In a collaborative process, the three partner museums, the Cyprus Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, the Graz Museum (Austria) and the Museum of Cycladic Art (Athens) developed three temporary and three digital exhibitions on the theme "Social Issues", with the following themes:

* ReThinking CRAFTSMANSHIP (PITK)- March - May 2023.

* ReThinking CONFLICTS (Graz Museum)- June - July 2023

* ReThinking IDENTITIES (Museum of Cycladic Art)- July - August 2023

Objects presented digitally in space by the three museums are given an unconventional form of display that offers innovative ways of interaction. The themes and considerations of these exhibitions are the different skills and abilities we cultivate in order to address social issues and how museum collections can serve as a starting point for viewing, interpreting and framing social issues through a pan-European perspective.

ReThinking IDENTITIES Exhibition (08/07/23 - 11/08/23)

Today, the notions of gender, sexual diversity and discrimination are more relevant than ever. We constantly face gender issues, instances of discrimination in all spheres of life and changing attitudes towards sexual diversity. However, these phenomena may not be as novel as one would think.

Distinct gender roles have always existed in society from the prehistoric era to our contemporary world. Although it is not easy to make assumptions on the role that women and men held in the Early Cycladic society, we can assume that women and men held different but important roles. More information on the different roles of men and women emerged during the Historic Period.

Women had an important role within their households and oversaw the raising of their children. They only left the house to participate in burial customs and certain religious rituals. Men had an active role in public life. They could hold office, become warriors, skilled craftsmen, or athletes and therefore prominent members of the society. Women were not part of social life and men enjoyed celebrations and symposia with other men with the exception of the courtesans, who, as emancipated women, were also the educated women of the time. During celebrations, it was usual for men to express their admiration for each other publicly. Bonding and sharing of activities referred to men of the same class.

Written evidence and representations on clay vessels are the main sources of information on daily life and the role of men and women in society. Potters decorated the vessels and pyxides with scenes from aristocrats’ everyday life and habits.

In this exhibition, we focus on three key objects which connect identities from antiquity to today’s world.

Duration: 8 July 2023 - 11 August 2023

Venue: Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation

Opening hours: 10:00-19:00 (weekdays and weekends)

Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation

86-90 Faneromenis, 1011 Nicosia

For information: 22 128157

www.boccf.org