“The 70s were not merely an artistic stage for Glyn Hughes,” say organisers of an upcoming Cyprus exhibition, “rather they marked a profound shift: from western observer to an embedded witness of the Cypriot experience.

“Through his Synergy actions and the works that emerged in pre-war and post-war Cyprus, Hughes’ practice evolved toward a meta-political expression; not overtly ideological, but deeply emotional, corporeal and embodied. His studio became a parallel stage, where performance served as a meeting point between personal expression and collective trauma.”

An exhibition of Glyn Hughes’ works is about to be unveiled in Nicosia at n_c_annex on Digeni Akrita, not presenting an archive as the organisers state but reconstituting a form of lived testimony that has yet to be fully voiced.

The outcome of the time period this exhibition focuses on were installations, performances, batik and photography that were neither explicitly political nor entirely apolitical. “Cyprus, a landscape of violence and resistance, becomes not the theme, but the material of creation. Hughes becomes more than an artist: he becomes a translator of a nation’s unconscious state in crisis.”

On the opening night, Dr Gabriel Koureas will lead a conversation titled Unframed in the Highly Framed 70s, as the exhibition inaugurates at 7pm. It will last until July 9 when an announcement of a winter event will also be made.

Chronicle of Presence: The Unframed 70s

Glyn Hughes exhibition. Curated by Athina Antoniadou and Yianna Tsolaki. June 19-July 9. n_c_annex, Digeni Akrita, Nicosia. Opening night: 7pm. Tel: 22-429837, 94-086726, 99-486772