Press Releases

The Department of Antiquities of the Deputy Ministry of Culture announces the opening of the art exhibition entitled “How She Moved”. The art exhibition is the result of a collaboration between two visual artists and a poet, who explore the perception and representation of Aphrodite’s body through archaeological lens. 

Their works examine the worship of the Great Goddess of Cyprus, who, in ancient Pafos, was once depicted as a conical Baetylus, and the worship of Aphrodite as it evolved in the Hellenistic period when it was then identified with the goddess of Greek mythology, as well as the ways in which the mythology of the goddess connects to the contemporary era and is transformed by it. 

Their research focuses on the worship of the goddess and the history of her sanctuary in Palaepafos (present day Kouklia), as well as the surrounding settlements, which were one of the central hubs for the copper trade routes from the foothills of the Troodos Mountains. 

The sanctuary was a place of worship, but also a symbol of wealth and power, established in a strategic location. In the centuries that followed, the sanctuary underwent various phases of colonisation, and during the Greco-Roman period, it experienced ideological transformations, assuming new political identities under foreign colonial regimes. 

The Great Goddess transformed over time, manifesting her divinity in various ways. Her countless names, her multiple forms continue to inspire to this day. 

Participating Artists:

Katerina Neofytidou, Grace Schwindt, Stella Voskaridou 

Event Details:

The project “How She Moved” is funded by the Deputy Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus, Department of Contemporary Culture, and supported by the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus. 

Special thanks to Eftychia Zachariou, Efstathios Raptou, Margarita Kouali from the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus for their support and to Victoria Leonidou for the graphics. 

Opening and reception: Saturday, 29 March 2025, 15:00 

Archaeological Museum of Pafos District, 43, Griva Digeni Avenue, Pafos, Cyprus 

Duration: 29 March 2025 to 29th May 2025 

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00-16:00, Monday closed. 

Free Admission 

For further inquiries contact: 26955801 – Archaeological Museum of Pafos District

Facebook event link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1FXxuQHxod/?mibextid=wwXIfr 

(EK/GS/NZ)