Gallery Kypriaki Gonia, Larnaka
1-22 February 2008




The first Posthumous Exhibition of Paintings by the Naive Painter Christodoulos Kodjapashis or Christos Eleftheriades (artist's pseudonym) is organized by the Gallery Kypriaki Gonia in Larnaca in cooperation with the painter's family from die 1-22 February 2008, 20 years from his death.

Christodoulos Kodjapashis was born in Mammari on the 28th October 1926 and died on the 6th of November 1988, at the age of 62. He completed only the first 3 years of Junior School. In an interview with Andri Krotidou in 1979, he said: "I liked painting from an early age. At school I was the first in painting. Because my father was not educated to see my talent and encourage me, he took me out of school, because he kept a coffee shop and he needed an assistant"

He started to paint systematically from 1969 following a visit to a Pancyprian Exhibition of Art. Christodoulos was a quiet and simple man, who plugged the courage to discover and nurture what was hidden inside him for years. His village, his country, his work were his inspiration.
In 1979, he held a Solo Exhibition of Painting at the Gallery of Self- taught Painters, in Nicosia. The exhibition was opened by the then Cultural Officer of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Panayiotis Sergis.

He also participated in exhibitions in Cyprus and abroad:
1972 Exhibition of Paintings by Self-taught Painters at the Technical School of Nicosia.

1972 Triennale Exhibition, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. Tine Cypriot exhibitors were: Costas Avraamides, Ioannis Christoforou, Chrystalla Demetriou, Christos Eleftheriades, Yiasoumis Georgiou and Nicos Ioannou.

1972 Pancyprian Exhibition of Paintings at the Technical School, Nicosia.

1973 With the initiative of the Bank Sparkasse Hamburg in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus and other Government Departments an exhibition was organized in Germany. At this exhibition among the 31 artists who participated were Michael Kashialos, Stelios Votsis, Solomos Frangoulides, Pater Kallinikos, Tilemachos Kanthos, Keti Stefanidou, Christos Eleftheriades, Androulla Antoniadou, Stella Michaelidou, Andreas Chrysohos, Costas and Lefteris Economou, Costas Ioakim, Giorgos Kotsonis, Andis Adamos, Andreas Savides, Georgiou Yiasoumis, Nicos Kouroushis, Michael Finicarides, Charilaos Dikaios, Rea Bailey, Andreas Charalambides, etc.

In the book "MAMMARI, my village", published by the Local Council of Mammari, it mentions among other things for the artist: "Great achievements by a simple man from our village. Paintings with live colours and bright faces. A quiet contribution from a simple man from our village, to the cultural heritage of our country."


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Gallery Kypriaki Gonia
45 Stadiou Street
Larnaka, CY 6020
Cyprus
TEL : +357 24 621109
kypriaki.gonia@cytanet.com.cy
www.gallerykypriakigonia.com.cy