The A. G. Leventis Gallery in collaboration with BirdLife Cyprus, is organising a different kind of exhibition this autumn.

The collaborative exhibition ‘Kochinohoma – Red Soil’, tells the story of the illegal killing of migratory birds in Cyprus, through a post-mortem inquiry into the unfortunate way they meet their end. The timing of the exhibition is intentional, as birds in their millions are leaving Europe to seek the milder climates of Africa during winter. To these migratory birds that fly thousands of kilometres to their wintering grounds, Cyprus offers refuge along the way. For many however, this route turns out to be fatal.

‘Kochinohoma – Red Soil’ is the result of multiple collaborations between creatives, led by photographer Silvio Augusto Rusmigo and designers Omiros Panayides and Thalis Nicolaou. The project has taken the form of a book-artefact, a documentary film, as well as an interactive installation. These elements come together to transport the viewer to a figurative crime-scene, bringing them close to the objects, sounds and landscapes that make up this illegal activity, while confronting them with some hard-hitting truths on the magnitude of this problem. Through this experience, the exhibition invites the viewer to delve into the multifaceted environmental and cultural issue of wildlife crime in Cyprus, raising questions about individual responsibility as well as collective action.

Duration of Exhibition: 20 September – 16 October 2022
Documentary film premiere: 19 September 2022
Coordinators: Loukia Loizou Hadjigavriel, Director of the A. G. Leventis Gallery and Katerina Stephanides, Curator of the A. G. Leventis Gallery
Created by: Silvio Augusto Rusmigo, Omiros Panayides and Thalis Nicolaou
Head Curator and Exhibition Design: Thalis Nicolaou
Graphic Design: Omiros Panayides
Documentary: Costas Drakos
Sound: Panayiotis Mina
Text: Vasiliki Anastasi
Supported by: BirdLife Cyprus and the Sovereign Area Police Anti-Poaching Unit
Funded by: MAVA Foundation, BirdLife Cyprus, The A. G. Leventis Gallery
Special thanks to: Martin Hellicar, Tassos Shialis, Elena Markitani, Markos Charalambides, Olivia Christodoulides, Argyro Nicolaou, Atelie Demetriades Ltd, Arnold's Digital Printers Ltd
Media Sponsor: Cyprus Mail