A tattoo sticker like that used to be available in large numbers from fun park vending machines is presented by Kyriakos Theocharous.

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The tattoo was developed by means of a silkscreen, later reproduced in the form of temporary tattoos with the method of digital printing. It is in fact a selfie-type small photograph the visual artist took with his partner; on the semantic plane, its use alludes to the nature of ephemeral fame. With this proposition, Theocharous challenges the younger generation to ponder on the human nature of those fallen to the struggles for the freedom of Cyprus. In the artist’s words: “Those who perished in order for us to have a better future, perhaps they too had wanted to fall in love and enjoy life – only to slide into oblivion”. The printmaker also touches upon the way each state and nation approaches human expendable.

The tattoo sticker has been reproduced in multiple copies, offering visitors to the exhibition the opportunity to use them.

 

[…] The “Forget Me Not” motto was created by Nikos Dimou on the morning of 14 Augusto 1974. An adman at time, Dimou gave instructions for the creation of the “Forget Me Not” emblematic slogan which was later printed on stickers, posters and much more, e.g. exercise books that have nurtured several generations of Cypriot pupils. For more than 40 years, the “Forget Me Not” slogan has left indelible mark on the Cypriot society, having emerged as it did during 1974. Strongly imbued with a socio-political content, the very concept of “Forget Me Not” has had starkly different receptions throughout the years from one generation to another. […] The aim has been the creation of prints that encapsulate how artist construe the phrase by either preserving or rejecting its political and cultural substance.

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In a nutshell – what does “Forget me not” mean today to each and everyone of us? And how can this motto persevere outside the Cypriot context and local social borders?

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Text: Margarita Kounnafi, Exhibition Curator