The well-known Cypriot artist Hambis Tsangaris, known to the public as Hambis the printmaker, said that the School for Printmaking which he has established long before is giving opportunity to the new generation to become great printmakers.
He says that he owes his career in arts to his teacher Tassos.
Particularly he said, “He invited me to Athens to his workshop. I returned from him and I didn’t want to become anything else other than a printmaker.”
He also mentioned that he feels grateful for the people that proposed his candidacy and worked for his award from “Europa Nostra”.
He referred to the long work that his School achieved throughout Cyprus.
He also stated, on the matter of water inflow into the Printmaking Museum, he is very troubled with the stance of the District Administration of Limassol. He is moved, however, by the support of people of culture.
“I am moved by the interest of people of culture, regardless of their profession but I notice that the District Administration is taking its time. It doesn’t want to solve or doesn’t want to solve it in the correct way. We will see. But the Museum will never open again until the floor of the archive room doesn’t dry out”, said the Cypriot artist.
About his path in arts, the cultural heritage award and the situation with the Printmaking Museum, we discussed with Hambis the Printmaker in an interview he granted to Voice International.
Question: Let’s start with yourself, your path through your art…
Hambis: “From where shall I start? (laughs) Let’s start from the elementary school. I really liked potato printing. After, in gymnasium I was drawing on celotex and I started printmaking on celotex. And I did a series of drew-engraved pieces and then people said «you should get into printmaking», «what is printmaking?» I said. And I started, they brought me four linoleums, I did my first printmaking arts. When I was out of it, I didn’t know where to buy it from. I went to the carpenter of the village and I told him «I want you to put together wood, to make plates of 1 meter» and I took the carpenter’s tools and I was printmaking. So, I made five wood printmaking arts. And I got lucky, I met Tassos the printmaker at Hilton in Nicosia, where he was having an exhibition and I went to see it. He invited me to Athens to his workshop. I returned from him and I didn’t want to become anything else other than a printmaker. That was in ’71.
In ’72 after an exhibition I did in Nicosia, all the newspapers where writing «this guy is so good». I went crazy I wanted to go for studies. I was working then at Haravgi (newspaper), I quit and they asked me «where are you going to go?». I told them «I will go to England to work and study, I don’t ask you to send me with scholarship», because at that point I was already married and I had a kid. And I got lucky again, after one month of me staying in England, the correspondent of Haravgi in Moscow he notified «I want to return, send someone else». They asked me «do you want to study? Do you want to go? You will learn the language for couple years and you will tell us where you want to study». So, I went. After the three years I realised that there was no way I will manage to study because the Russians didn’t want me to study because my status as foreign correspondent and as a student couldn’t be combined. I went to Athens I found my teacher Tassos; I told him what was going on and he told me «You will come here, you will go for two years to Doxiades’ Academy and then I will take care of it for you to go to Paris for one year». I told him «Master thank you», I left flying, I went to Moscow, I notified the newspaper «send someone else I am leaving». And I got lucky again, and they allowed me to study, and I did so for six years. I won’t get into a lot of details, I will give you a book, an autobiography with more details in it. I graduated happy with a six-meter thesis “Cyprus after independence”. The only place where this six-meter piece can be found, which actually is a three piece art is at AKEL’s offices, which I gave as a gift in 1982. The one in the entrance is the one third of it, the other one is next to it entitled “We will win”, and the other one is in the office of the Secretary of AKEL Nicosia – Keryneia office.
I returned back, I worked again for Haravgi for 5 more years, afterwards I quit and I worked in the education for 21 years and I had a wonderful time with my students. In ’95 I established the School for Printmaking to honour my teacher Tassos, because he took me to Athens and taught me for free. In 2008 I established the Printmaking Museum, for people to learn more about printmaking.
So, in this whole path, since I came here to Plataniskia I did a lot of pictorial work, outside of the School and the Museum. I drew in Pallouriotissa “Spanos and the forty dragons”, and here I drew the “Prince from Venice”, “Anerada”, “Kalikantziaroi”, “Triplaroi” and many more I can’t remember (laughs).
Question: A few months ago you were awarded the European prize for cultural heritage. Do you think there is recognition of people of culture and the arts, especially at the level of Cyprus and Europe?
Hambis: I can’t be absolute. I know that it was a great honor for me to be awarded the “Europa Nostra” and I feel grateful for the people who pointed me out and nominated me for this award. Because for me even if I didn’t win the award, my work doesn’t change. What I did I did. It’s there. I am grateful to Androulla Vassiliou who pointed me out, suggested me, worked for the nomination. I was also nominated for the award by Konstantinos Giorkatzis, the Mayor of Nicosia, to whom I am also grateful. Christos Agiomamitis, Lyda Agiomamitis and Agni Petridou, engineer-urban planner in the Municipality of Nicosia, worked very hard for my candidacy, aslo. Yes, of course I am grateful to the jury of “Europa Nostra” because of course, the recommendations came from Cyprus, but there were about 235 nominations covering Europe, from 35 countries. From those 235 only 30 were awarded from 21 countries. There were categories, the category I was awarded was “Heritage Champion” which is four of us who were awarded among the category. I feel grateful for the jury. How did they manage to award me from all those nominated, thank you so much!
Now for the recognition, if it exists in Cyprus, I know that there are many artists in Cyprus, great artists, everywhere they have a specific treatment from the Ministry of Education and Culture before, but now with the Deputy Ministry of Culture I think things have changed. I see that things are changing. I don’t know how much they recognize them. I know that I never sought to be recognized, here where I am I do what I want. I feel pleased because the Deputy Ministry of Culture, after my Europa Nostra award, gave me an honorary event at the Deputy Ministry. Now that the Printmaking Museum is dealing with the problem of water inflow into the archive, the Deputy Minister of Culture, Lina Kassianidou, was very interested. She came herself on the spot to see things with many good intentions.
This is the situation as I see it.
Question: Do you think that in Cyprus the structures and policies exist to promote the cultivation and interest of citizens in art, especially among the new generations?
Hambis: I’m far away, I don’t know. I’m in the village, here, I don’t know what’s going on, I can’t say. Anything I say might be wrong. But I know a lot of good work is being done here. With the Printmaking School, where we have free lessons in memory of my teacher Tassos from 1995 until today. And not only here. Because we started in Plataniskia, but then we started going around in different areas. We went to Anogyra, Platres, sometimes. We went to Kontea’s house in Larnaca, in Klirou, in Mesa Horko of Paphos, in Deryneia and many other places that if I will try enough to think I will remember them (laughs). We travelled all around Cyprus. We went to Limassol and Nicosia.
We are trying to give this opportunity to the new generation, from young ages. Our students are of all ages. I am happy with what we are doing. When I say “we”, yes I started the School by myself and then the Museum, we made a non-profit company, which is me, my friends and my former students at the School, some of whom became great printmakers today.
Question: Recently on social media you uploaded a post accompanied by photos about the Printmaking Museum in Plataniskia, particularly that the place is closing its doors and suspending its events. This was followed by a visit from the Deputy Minister of Culture (south) and announcements by the Minister of Interior (south) regarding actions. Are the messages you received auspicious?
Hambis: I am pleased with the interest shown by the Ministry of the Interior and the Deputy Ministry of Culture. I am very moved by the interest of many people and their comments on social media, very moving. However, the big question mark is what the Limassol District Administration will do, which was making a fool of me along with the Turkish Cypriot Property Service for five years. The Prefect now joined the show too and sent, last Monday, an engineer to examine the case again. The bottom line, however, is that for five years they made fun of me, regardless of whether he sent an engineer or sent him because the Minister of the Interior intervened and the Prefect was forced to do so, it’s completely clear to me. But whatever he does it reminds me of the proverb “if he doesn’t want to go to the mill he will spend five days sifting”, these people did it for five years.
Yes, as I tell you, I sent a written response to the Prefect, which I communicated everywhere, because he made some statements to the CNA that clearly show his intentions. He speaks about the difficulty, perhaps it is impossible, if the moisture to be eliminated, these things show what is going on in his mind. As is has been for so many years when the Museum was forgotten. Because he said that they came from good will. When I reached out to him desperately in June, I sent him 3 emails, to tell him about the criminal indifference shown by the Turkish Cypriot Properties Service, he replied “you know, these matters are under the responsibility of the Turkish Cypriot Properties Service, so reach out to them”. You can find my letter on facebook, I sent it to CNA and to the newspapers.
I am moved by the interest of people of culture, regardless of their profession but I notice that the District Administration is taking its time. It doesn’t want to solve or doesn’t want to solve it in the correct way. We will see. But the Museum will never open again until the floor of the archive room doesn’t dry out. In the archive we have treasures of printmaking arts, since the 16th century until nowadays. These pieces of art exist here and are displayed in the biggest museums in the world. In the letter I reply for everything.
Kallis Antounas-Voice International 2023
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