Sector 2: Nicosia
10 January 2025 – 31 October 2025
The Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia is presenting its temporary exhibition entitled Sector 2: Nicosia. It is a different, experiential exhibition, which is intended to tell, through an innovative museological approach and experience, the story of the Green Line, a line which for 60 years now has been splitting the last divided capital of Europe.
The title selected for the exhibition, Sector 2: Nicosia, carries symbolic significance. It not only describes the geographical division of Nicosia within the areas of control established by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force, but also emphasises, devoid of sentimentality, the shared ‘fate’ of the city under a different light determined as Sector 2.
Four thematic units which are marked by the chronological milestones of 1956, 1958, 1963, 1964 and 1974 determine the museological trail, while they also unlock the evidence which comprises all the pieces of the puzzle in relation to the evolution of bicommunal relations and their impact on Nicosia.
The first section features the era of coexistence among all communities and the social bonds they shared. The second section explores the events occurring in Nicosia from 21 to 30 December 1963, which led to the first official establishment of the Green Line. In the third and more experiential section an anthropocentric lens highlights the distance and isolation experienced by the two communities, showcasing the development of two parallel worlds in everyday life. Finally, the fourth section focusses on positive initiatives and actions, preserving hope for future reunification.
Specifically, the exhibition Sector 2: Nicosia, through the presentation of diverse historical documents, objects, works of art, oral testimonies and artistic interventions (installations and video art), aims to illuminate lesser-known aspects of this period. It invites visitors to grasp the collective trauma experienced by the people of Nicosia on both sides of the dividing line, who navigate a city that is both familiar and foreign to them simultaneously. The exhibition space becomes labyrinthine and dense, expressing, on the one hand, the narrow dead-end streets of Nicosia and, on the other hand, the gradual alienation and dead ends in the life of its citizens over the course of these six decades.
The research and the collection of material was begun almost two years ago by the Curator of the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia and exhibition curator, Chrysostomos Sakallis, in order for the exhibition material to meet the artistic gaze of the director Magdalena Zira and of the set designer Elena Katsouri for the whole presentation to be afforded an air of experiential immediacy.
The general coordination was organised by Tzeni Lymperopoulou Savvidou, Director of the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia, who also acted as co-curator of the exhibition with Maria Patsalosavvi, the Museum’s Deputy Director.
Furthermore, the consulting role of Loukia Loizou Hadjigavriel, Director of the Anastasios G. Leventis Foundation and of the A. G. Leventis Gallery, as well as the advice of Demetra Theodotou Anagnostopoulou, Museum Consultant for the A. G. Leventis Foundation, the A. G. Leventis Gallery and the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia, was also vital to the creation of the exhibition.
Crucial interventions across all stages of the scientific documentation were also offered by Dr Petros Papapolyviou, historian and Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Cyprus, as well as by Dr Antigone Heraclidou, historian and Senior Research Associate at the CYENS Centre of Excellence.
The exhibition is accompanied by a publication rich in essays and photographs, complemented with the historical timeline of the exhibition, along with important testimonies.
It should be noted that the exhibition could not have been realised without the kind loans of photographs, objects and various testimonial material from organisations, bodies and private collectors, as well as the people of Nicosia who lived through the events.
Throughout the duration of the temporary exhibition Sector 2: Nicosia, the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia will hold special guided tours, creative workshops for children, lectures and other events. The public can find the detailed programme on the Museum’s website (leventismuseum.org.cy), as well as on its social media pages (Facebook / Instagram: @leventismuseum).
Exhibition duration: 10 January 2025 – 31 October 2025
The Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia, Temporary Exhibition Hall
Visiting hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10.00-16.30
Sponsor: The A. G. Leventis Foundation
Media sponsors: O Phileleftheros, Philenews
TV media sponsor: Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation
With the support of: Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation – Digital Herodotus │ Press and Information Office (Photo Archive and Newspaper Archive), Ministry of Interior, Republic of Cyprus │ Cyprus State Archives, Ministry of Justice and Public Order, Republic of Cyprus │ CYENS Centre of Excellence │ Nicosia Municipality │ The Association of the Friends of the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia and the A. G. Leventis Gallery
