Regina

A photograph of a naked woman as seen from behind lies plainly on two wooden tripod legs, offered to the gaze of the viewer. Her hands are folded behind, in a shy gesture to hide her nakedness, emphasized by the harsh, natural light. What is rather difficult to notice is that under the table like construction, a historical map of the Mediterranean is placed. Surprisingly, the island of Cyprus assumes the same position as the woman’s sexual organs. … The two-dimensional depiction of the island is surrounded by the powerful presence of seaweed, a common natural element of the island’s sea coast, suggesting pubic hair shown from the lying figure. Constant political turmoil and successive occupations by a series of foreign states has marked, to the present, the island’s history and identity. Beside the search for the belonging and position of Cyprus in geographical maps of Western origin, Antoniou juxtaposes the understanding of the female body – or better, her own body – as a cultural sign searching for its own parameters of sexuality and identity. The female body – her body – becomes the battleground of desire and rejection, in the same way as the island becomes the territory in which Cypriots are still struggling to comprehend and define their multiple roles and identities.” (Artemis Eleftheriadou, Pocheon art Biennale, Korea, 2004)