The “Greece-Cyprus” periodic artistic pottery exhibition was held at the beginning of September at St George’s Gate, Eleftherias Square, in Heraklion. The main aim of the exhibition was the promotion and preservation of the common historic and cultural identity of Greece and Cyprus through the art of pottery, especially the creation of pithoi and other use ware.
The exhibition was open until 13 September as part of the Interreg III A Programme, under the aegis of the Heraklion Chamber of Commerce and in collaboration with the Municipality of Heraklion. 25 potters from Thrapsano and Margarites took part, together with modern ceramicists from the rest of Greece, Cyprus, Sweden and Brazil, confirming that pottery is not a static art but progresses both technically and artistically. The public also participated in the exhibition – or festival – as, in the “Do what I do” class, young and old had the opportunity to show off their pottery skills with a potter’s help.
There were also presentations of Japanese and Arab raku techniques, metal lacquers, the ancient Greek art of red and black figure vases, primitive pottery from Brazil and Swedish sculpture. Two jazz bands, “Artos” and “Can’t Dance” filled the square with improvised tunes and quality music.